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Bushwalk Pyes Creek Cherrybrook – We saw tall and majestic Angophora costata, towering Turpentines, massive eucalypts, lots of Callicoma serratifolia and Ceratopetalum apetalum (Coachwood), wonderful Xanthorrhoeas and Lomandras, and large areas of ferns.

Narawang Wetland Walk – The Wetlands are a recreation of previous wetlands that were destroyed when the site along Haslam’s Creek was used as a tip for commercial, domestic and industrial waste.

Growing ferns in pots – Ferns around the house give you a sense of peace and tranquillity, and on a hot day you feel a bit cooler when you see them.

A DAY WITH THE PROPAGATORS – Perhaps you haven’t known just what goes on with the people who join together in the service known as propagation. In the Parramatta-Hills Group of APS, the second Wednesday of most months finds a happy group of propagators gathered at the Hills Council nursery at North Rocks, north-west Sydney.

Red River Gums – Their roots reach down deep into the water table (usually > 10 m), drawing water to the surface that no other plants or animals can reach. By maximising their water use, they grow quickly and produce excesses of food in the form of leaves, nectar, pollen, wood, flowers and sap.

Pittosporums – are they really weeds? Many people regard Pittosporums as a nuisance weed. They say they take over and don’t allow other more desirable plants to grow, so they should be eliminated. But are there other considerations? There are two types of Pittosporums growing in this area – Pittosporum revolutum and Pittosporum undulatum. They…

Mick Roderick is the Woodland Bird Program Manager at BirdLife Australia – Australia’s largest bird conservation and research organization. In this role, he manages a suite of projects aiming to protect and recover threatened woodland birds, especially the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater, which will also be the focus of his talk.

Evolution of a garden (and gardener!) as I go native Heather Miles From Native Plants for NSW journal, October 2015 Perched on the top of a windswept hill in the Hunter Valley, this Australian native garden started with some lofty goals: to offer beautiful views from the house; create a haven for local fauna; be…

Challenger Track – On this sunny winter’s morning, 16 of us enjoyed this delightful bushwalk. The vegetation for the first three-quarters of the walk is heath. Imposing specimens of Eucalyptus haemastoma and Corymbia gummiferum are dotted about. Banksia serrata is common, and Banksia ericifolia is in full flower. Everywhere you look there’s something of interest…

“This daisy didn’t evolve a new ‘make a fly’ gene. Instead, it did something even cleverer.” A male fly approaches a flower, lands on top of what he thinks is a female fly, and jiggles around. He’s trying to mate, but it isn’t quite working. He has another go. Eventually he gives up and buzzes…

An epic global study of moss reveals it is far more vital to Earth’s ecosystems than we knew – Mosses are some of the oldest land plants. They are found all over the world, from lush tropical rainforests to the driest deserts, and even the wind- swept hills of Antarctica.

The Xanthorrhoea australis plants in the garden at the Community Environment Centre Annangrove have been major attractions and talking points. They flowered for the very first time last Spring. Chris Jones and I collected seeds and put them in a moist seed-raising mix.