Sunday, September 07, 2008

Important Groups of Wildlife Habitat Plants - Australia

The goal being to plant plants which provide food, shelter and nest sites for a range of nectar, fruit, seed, leaf and insect (and other prey) eating animals, eg. birds, mammals, lizards, frogs and insects.

Top habitat plant groups which provide many resources are:
Eucalyptus, Angophora, Melaleuca, Acacia, Banksia, Leptospermum and Kunzea.

Shelter plants -
many Acacia (wattles), Leptospermum (tea-trees), Melaleuca (paperbarks), Bursaria (blackthorn), Hakea, Ceratopetalum (Christmas bush), Kunzea, Clematis, Pandorea (wonga-wonga vine), Rubus (native raspberry) and any dense and/or spikey planting.

Insect-pollinated plants -
Acacia (wattles), native peas (eg. Dillwynia, Hardenbergia, Kennedia), Leptospermum (tea-trees), native daisies (eg. Olearia) as well as Hibbertia, Clematis, Pomaderris.

Nectar plants -
Banksia, Grevillea, Hakea, Correa, Lambertia (mountain devil), Callistemon (bottlebrush), Eucalyptus, Angophora, Melaleuca, Xanthorrhoea (grasstrees) and others with big showy flowerheads, Epacris.

Seed plants -
Eucalyptus, Angophora, Acacia (wattles), Casuarina and Allocasuarina (she-oaks), Glochidion (cheese tree), Lomandra, native grasses (eg. Themeda, Danthonia), rushes (Juncus) and sedges (Gahnia).

Fruit plants -
Acmena, Syzygium (lillypillies), Ficus (figs), Alphitonia, Trema, Cissus (native grape), Persoonia (geebugs), Dianella (native lily), Breynia, Stephania, saltbushes and many rainforest or wet forest species.

Native bee plants -
Persoonia (geebungs), native peas (eg. Hovea, Pultenaea), native daisies (eg. Helichrysum), heath plants (eg. Epacris, Leucopogon), Goodenia, Tristaniopsis (water gum), Leptospermum.

Native butterfly plants -
native peas, native daisies, native grasses (eg. Poa), sedges and rushes (eg. Carex, Juncus), Lomandra, Dianella, Bursaria (blackthorn), Macrozamia (burrawang), Dodonaea, Zieria, Correa, Indigofera, Cupaniopsis (tuckeroo), Melaleuca and mistletoes.

Hope I spelt them all correctly, let me know if any of the links are dead!