Bushcare Hewitts Creek

 Wind, Waves & Bambi Weed-seeking will be well down the priorities tomorrow after the depredations of the 3 above over the last few weeks.  Options offered: Another deposit of plastics, treated timber & other jetsam has been delivered to the back of the beach. There wasn't a lot on Friday but enough to warrant 2 or 3 of us with pick up sticks & bags to do a lap. There is a big square of sponge rubber just outside the SPATE fence which Uncle Peter Button said we could add to the SPATE pile at the south end of the fence. It will be a good thing to get done at the start of NAIDOC Week.  Peter is expecting some NAIDOC campers at SPATE for the week. Wetness & wind have brought down a number of trees/branches so sawyers are in for a busy morning. There were 2 down on the Dirt Track, a big Casuarina limb at the creek corner & further casualties elsewhere. Bambi is back & picking on some surprisingly small victims.  Carers will need secateurs to "cle...

To Plant Before the Rain  (at Flanagans for the second time this month)   We have 35 coastal natives through the WCC Nursery to put in & hope they survive the mid week weather. So that we don't get in each other's way I've split up the "activities" on offer: First thing is to clear patches for planting within the Lantana massacre site .  That will mean some more chopping/sawing/dragging & piling before we plant. We may require a bit of chainsaw work on the thicker & tougher lengths at the outset. This group will need some loppers plus planting trowel/spade & a water bottle or two.  The complications attached are that the Satin Bowerbird has rebuilt his bower about 10 metres from his prior site so we must try not to disturb & anti rabbit defences will be necessary. (4-6 workers).  At the south end of the coupe there is still Morning Glory to remove from Lomandra & a Banksia or two. I'll supply the bags needed here. (2-4 workers) Th...

We're just weeders & planters   The sand is piled high on the beach, holding in the highest non-flood water level we've seen, back upstream. The Ditch, half of Lisa's site & much of our newly cleared area by the creek are all under water so we'll try 4 dry areas tomorrow: south side of the dirt track across to the Blady grass Morning Glory,   Blackberry, Passionfruit ,  Lantana the west edge, from Dirt track north across to Andrews Amnesia Morning Glory, Passionfruit,   Cassia , Lantana clear west of the water & back past the Pink Nichols Line over by the creek & maybe lay some weed suppressing cardboard drive back the evil weeds invading Manifest Destiny from the east Cassia , Sorghum ,  Cape Ivy , Privet et al.  Could also cut & paint any Privet / Olive regrowth. It is the time of year for Warrigal Greens.   Plant of the Week: Warrigal greens Native Spinach ( Tetragonia tetragonioides ) Much prized by early colonists ...

 Up the Coast  Time for a change of scenery further north....at Flanagans Creek.   Among the almost tropical activities on offer will be: chopping up dead lantana & preparing a planting site (towards the creek end) continued  Morning Glory  & Turkey removal from Lomandras & bagging the Morning Glory attacks on the 2 Acacia saligna (Western Australian weed wattles) either by frilling & poison or by battery chainsaw, if that's feasible. more  Morning Glory  ground level roll ups & bagging bag the berries & dig it out.....yes, the Asparagi await. A brave soul might extract the mystery big black bag from under the Saltbush?   Please bring your big bags with you & I'll bring extras to leave for the WCC pick up.  We'll return to the site on 30/6 so these next 2 hits could have quite a visual impact on Coupe 1 (the north most third). 2024 Big surf hits the beach The line where the beach meets the bush may need a cle...

Public Holiday Monday   If  a better offer does not materialise, join those of us braving the wind & coolness to restore  Manifest Destiny  & parts nearby to pristine wilderness. Chopping is on offer. 2024 Public Holiday Monday   The standard mantra applies: if you get a better offer, take it.  The bridge has a water level monitoring instrument in it.  Here is it's webpage: mhl.nsw.gov.au/Station-214408 2023 Work list Chopping & bagging is on the agenda for some and Andrew's Mistake needs radical surgery. If the creek has dropped we might mount an expedition into Lisa's site or parts of Manifest Destiny .  Weed of the week - Corn sowthistle (Sonchus arvensis) see it in Eat Weeds - the book 2022 Worklist - looks familiar   A party into our Manifest Destiny zone ( privet ) and   to deploy another in Andrew's Lost World ( cassia ) - pods bagged; Should a third group be available, the Coolatai Grass down by Woodland Ck...

Bushie knowledge Back to Woodlands Ck edge where some seeding  Coolatai grass has strayed as well as some flood rubble, a few weeds & a deer or two. Deer junior has begun rutting on little victims beside the Stony Rd so Daddy damage can't be far off. Please let me know if you find any saplings stripped of bark &/or broken because we can erect some defences for our more valuable species. Other targets tomorrow include returns to Andrew's Amnesia &  Manifest Destiny . Both need general weeding & I'm hoping we can advance our east edge at MD over winter. That will mean work for choppers. There's also some more work along the cycleway.    2024 Time of year The usual weeds are slowing down this time of year, so a bit of effort will contain them when spring comes around. 2023 Have the deer returned? Our climbing weeds are on the up and some are set to flower so the targets tomorrow will be Morning Glory and Cape Ivy in the SE Corner , Moth Vine in the...

High Tides The deluge last Thursday night washed the sand out of Hewitts Creek so the lagoon is now 2 metres lower than it was. That may mean the tidal surge will re-flood areas of Manifest Destiny & Lisa's Site . Won't know until we get there tomorrow but as all the low parts of our site were wet on Friday afternoon & Woodlands Creek was still 30 metres wide we'll have to make most of it up as we go tomorrow. Inspecting back of beach will be the first task. The safest bet is to start along the higher & drier Western Edge areas, like Stony Rd , behind the Blady Grass, up the dirt track & across to Andrews Amnesia. Secateurs & bags best for these areas. Brave souls can skirt Lake Zaremba and trust Bruce's rehabilitation of the Gillette Bridge over the Ditch because Madeira Vine is threatening over by the creek &  Lisa's Site needs further work. Weed Aware Random Citizens (WARCs) armed with secateurs could bag lots of Biden seeds & a ...