Hands up for the Woolly Teatree

Crawford River, Hotspur

There is a tall shrub that grows in swamps and along watercourses in south-eastern Australia and in my lifetime it has become much less common. It's the Woolly Teatree Leptospermum lanigerum.

The 'lanigerum' part of its name refers to the woolly (hairy) capsules and leaves. It has a a silvery appearance. In fact its other common name is Silky Teatree. The references call it 'common and widespread' and it is a plant used a lot in regeneration and restoration projects so in no way is it a threatened species but what is under threat is their favoured habitat. Farmers for generations have drained swamps and allowed stock to graze along river banks and in wet areas. My father was a dairy farmer and one paddock on our farm was a Woolly Teatree swamp when I was a child. Dad allowed his cows to graze the paddock and subsequent owners have as well and now there are no teatrees left.

Some farmers are doing the right thing and fencing off swamps and creeksides. Organisations like Landcare, Greening Australia and Catchment Management Authorities are providing funding for fencing in some cases. But I fear it is too late for some populations of Woolly Teatree. In the photo, above, the swamps beside the Crawford River at Hotspur are full of water at the moment and the Woolly Teatrees must be loving getting their feet wet. But there won't be much regeneration because this particular patch (and others like it) is not fenced off and teatrees rely on a 'cool' fire to release the seeds from woody capsules.

A swamp along the Crawford River at Hotspur with Woolly Teatrees, Phragmites, Poas and flowering Billy Buttons. 

Remnant Woolly Teatree in a small gully near Myamyn, Victoria.

Remnant Woolly Teatree, fenced off from stock. Milltown, Victoria.

A win for Black Box

In 2011 the Murray River at Loxton in South Australia broke its banks and flooded the 14 hectare Riverfront Reserve below the town. It proved to be just what the doctor ordered for the native vegetation in the reserve and hundreds of Black Box eucalypt seedlings appeared. In order to increase the chance of survival of the seedlings and other plants 100 megalitres of Commonwealth environmental water has been delivered by sprinklers in 2013 and 2015.

Loxton, SA

Black Box seedlings growing well at Loxton.

There is a very well maintained walking track through the reserve that appears to be well used by locals and visitors, with great views of the Murray River as a bonus.

It will be interesting to see how the trees grow and mature.

Fire wood or habitat?

I hope this works - I've never done a link like this before. Have a look at this excellent footage from a fixed camera. Phil Lewis has more films on YouTube that I must check out.

Taking sides

I'm not sure what the land-clearing laws are in Queensland but apparently the land owners are still allowed to push natural vegetation. This is what we saw on our left as we drove towards Dirranbandi, bush that is grazed by sheep or cattle (and feral goats and pigs).

And this is what we saw on our right. The vegetation in the paddock has been recently dragged flat - a lot of the trees still had green leaves. In this area we also saw huge privately-owned dams for irrigation purposes. The infamous Cubbie Station is also in this area.