A recipe for wildlife-friendly gardens

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Local plants for butterflies and other pollinators

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Robyn Curtis

When planting a new garden on a rental property in Queenscliff, Eva had in mind not only the low-maintenance features of local indigenous plants but also a desire to support local pollinators such as butterflies and bees. Among her plant selection she chose hardy shrubs such as White Correa, Common Correa and Twiggy Daisy-bush, and grasses such as Kangaroo Grass.

The new garden faces north and gets plenty of sun. It has settled well, gaining compliments from passers-by amazed at how quickly the tube stock has grown in just 18 months. They also comment on the interesting shapes, forms and textures of these indigenous plants and their vigour in the sandy soil.

While there is a wide variety of grasses, ground covers and shrubs that our local butterflies and pollinators enjoy, Eva sought out the Kangaroo Grass. However, it has not done as well as she had expected in the conditions and has since been moved.

Looking for more ideas, Eva found a very useful brochure called ‘Butterfly Garden’, which is produced by Barwon Coast and lists local indigenous plants that attract caterpillars and butterflies. This brochure provided her with a range of new plants to consider, and made her aware of the many native invertebrates, other than butterflies and bees, that pollinate our gardens. These include ants, ladybirds, spiders, dragonflies, lacewings and hoverflies.

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Robyn Curtis

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Robyn Curtis

Once you look closer, there is another world of creatures to discover, Eva said, as she watched a hoverfly delicately manoeuvring about an indigenous daisy.

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