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To weed or not to weed. That is the question!
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Posted by brushturkey
31 days ago
under Gardening, Pest Management
YOU MAY not know this, but when not writing plays, Shakespeare himself was a dedicated bush regenerator, and that his most famous phrase was in fact inspired by the title of this article, a statement he was often heard to utter when approaching a new site he was working on, maybe...
Pardon my liberties with the Immortal Bard, but that's the question I'm putting forward today. Are weeds all bad, all the time, in all situations?
Take for instance the Broad-leaf Privet (Ligustrum lucidum); anecdotally I hear that this tree was introduced to the Blackall Range in the 1950s. They were planted as a windbreak for paddocks. They were tough, fast, provided useful fodder and they also spread! This for me is where it starts to get in...
Myrtle Rust
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Posted by brushturkey
59 days ago
under
Well, it's a year since Myrtle Rust (a fungus that affects plants in the Myrtle or Myrtaceae Family such as Gum Trees, Lillypilly's, Bottle brushes etc. arrived on the Blackall Range.
What have we learnt this time - a) Australia is still vulnerable to the introduction of organisms that can have enormous economic & ecological impacts, b) that introduced organisms don't respect state borders (even if our Bio-Security Officers hope that they do) & c) that ecological diversity, connectivity & resilience is the only defence against introduced organisms & the ecological change that they represent.
You'll note that I am using the word introduced rather than invading. Invading implies that an organism has arrived on our shores all by itself and promptly set about r...
Seasons Wishes ...
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Posted by brushturkey
115 days ago
under General
WELL, HERE we all are at the start of another year (as our calendars tell us) and I'd like to say congratulations to everybody out there doing their bit to restore habitat and ecological connections, on the Hinterland, on the Sunshine Coast and throughout South East Queensland.
First up, thanks to the first Australians, the Traditional owners of this land who shaped the land we now live in, over the millennia to be a land of diversity and wealth. Their song is written in the landscape, a song that we must listen to if we are to join them as true Australians.
Second up, thanks to all the landholders who are revegetating and regenerating the bush on their blocks. It amazes me that you are all willing to spend so much of your ...