Welcome to the spring edition of our Sustaining Liverpool newsletter.
Spring is arguably the most exciting of all four seasons. It brings a sense of expectation and optimism that autumn, winter and summer, while spectacular in their own way, cannot match.
In spring we see buds forming on trees and shrubs, we see new flowers and lawns poking their way into existence as the earth’s yearly renewal begins.
It’s a time of fresh hopes and new beginnings, especially in Liverpool back yards and front gardens where the hope of householders is always that this year’s display of flowers will be even better than last year.
In Australia we’re blessed with a vast range of horticulture from towering eucalyptus to the small shrubs that bring colour to the landscape. In the Liverpool LGA gardeners are readying themselves for the challenge of getting the best out of the coming season.
Before we know it, gardens will be blossoming, and our streets and CBD will become colourful showpieces.
This version of Sustaining Liverpool celebrates Spring by detailing the flowers and trees that do best in our local climate. Not surprisingly, natives are the preferred species because they’re accustomed to the climate and conditions.
Other plants are listed to help attract butterflies to your garden.
Preserving our environment and monitoring are also vital to the future and it is an important and recurring theme through Sustaining Liverpool.
The future looks to be in sound hands following the success of our students from Unity Grammar and Malek Fahd School in the Liverpool LGA in the state-wide Speak for the Planter environment competition.
Their success confirms that our environmental and horticultural future is in safe hands.
set to stay
wardrobe - how to be
fashionable
What would you like to see more of in Sustaining Liverpool?
welcome your ideas - email us erp@liverpool.nsw.gov.au!
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The NSW Koala Strategy has recently partnered with Greater Sydney Landcare to facilitate a Southwest Sydney Koala Project. The project will be funding a full time Landcare position to encourage all forms of conservation in the Campbelltown and Wollondilly Local Government areas.
Specifically, on-ground koala habitat restoration works in the Campbelltown – Gilead – Wedderburn - Appin – Wilton areas will be of focus. This will include: bush regeneration, weed control, fencing, seed collection, tree planting and cultural burning.
Workshops will also be carried out in several areas raising awareness of the importance of koala habitat and how landholders can get involved with carrying out conservation on private land.
Additional conservation actions include education –expanding Campbelltown’s fantastic school Koala education package into the Wollondilly area.
Plus, emphasis will be put on making the roads safer for Koalas crossing them and providing support where-ever necessary to wildlife carers.
Road safety is a huge priority for the Liverpool City Council area, especially surrounding Holsworthy, which is known to contain numerous koalas on its land. Please drive carefully around the Holsworthy area, especially in the early hours of the morning.
If you see a koala do not approach it, as it is a wild animal, and having people around it may stress the animal. If it is injured you can contact Sydney Wildlife or WIRES.
Sydney Wildlife: 9413 4300
WIRES: 1300 094 737 (13000 WIRES)
If you are interested in finding out how you can be involved in the Southwest Sydney Koala Project, please get in touch xuela.sledge@greatersydneylandcare.org.au
You can also follow the project on Facebook:
/swskoalaprojectThe words “Regenerative Agriculture” can prompt lively conversations among rural landholders. Is it just sustainable agriculture with a trendy new name? Is it negative, implying farmers have been ‘degrading’ the land? Or is it hopeful, empowering farmers as part of a climate solution?
Ecosystem function refers to the fluxes of energy, water, nutrients, and organic matter through the landscape. It’s about plant production from photosynthesis, the growth of plants and animals, and the cycling of air, water and nutrients through plants, animals, and soil.
National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) president Fiona Simson says: “It is about smarter farming, not farming more hectares, and regenerative agricultural practices, many of which have been used and proven by mainstream farmers for years and, have the potential to create win/win situations for farmers”.
There is no agreed definition of Regenerative Agriculture. It has been described as having a number of key principles, but is also described in terms of practices, desired outcomes, or philosophies of farming. NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) describe it as restoring and enhancing ecosystem function on farms and in the environment through practices designed to work with the landscape, climate, livestock, and people.
• rotating stock from paddock to paddock to allow paddocks to recover.
• reduced reliance on agricultural chemicals
• integrated pest and weed management
• mixed species planting in grasslands, pasture phases and cover crops
• any effort to promote biodiversity
• no-till farming
• stubble retention
• water ponding and spreading.
Many farmers are seeking and even achieving similar outcomes, whether they identify as “regenerative” farmers or not. Regenerative agriculture practices reportedly rebuild soil carbon and reverse climate change. NSW DPI identify a range of environmental, economic, and social outcomes that are often associated with regenerative agriculture, including:
• enhanced ecosystem services
• improved soil function
• improved plant root growth
• enhanced farm resilience, recovery, and stability under short and long-term climate variations (such as drought and climate change).
Soil carbon is the solid carbon stored in global soils. This includes both soil organic matter and inorganic carbon as carbonate minerals. Soil carbon is a carbon sink regarding the global carbon cycle, playing a role in biogeochemistry, climate change mitigation, and constructing global climate models.
• Do your own research, but beware. Some practices and products being promoted may not be useful in your situation.
• Visit regenerative agriculture practitioners when access days occur to see first-hand what people are doing and whether it is suitable for your situation.
• Look into courses and workshops available for graziers and farmers covering principles and practices of regenerative agriculture. Use the links listed below for more information.
• Join the Greater Sydney local Landcare group.
Liverpool City Council supported local students in a state-wide environment competition for schools. This year our Liverpool students took out the Enviro art win and runner up for the speaker win.
The competition attracted 55 entries across all categories from schools across NSW including Parramatta, Wagga Wagga, St George and Dubbo.
The winning artwork is by Mahee from Unity Grammar in the Liverpool LGA.
The runner-up is Mariam Taleb from Malek Fahd School, Liverpool.
It is always a good idea to plant natives in Liverpool LGA gardens as they are more robust and acclimatised to Australian conditions, being more waterwise than a lot of exotic species. We have put together a list of native flowering plants that will also attract beneficial insects to your garden. As always, consult your local garden centre for advice as to what will work in your garden.
Pale fan-flower Scaevola albida
Chocolate lily Arthropodum strictum
Vanilla Lily Arthropodum milleflorum
Small vanilla lily Bulbina bulbosa
Blueberry lily Dianella rovoluta
Arrowhead violet Viola betonicifolia
Native Violet Viola hederacea
Sandfly zieria Zireria smithii
Prickly spider-flower Grevillea juniperina
Small flower Grevillea Grevillea parviflora
false sarsaparilla Hardenbergia violacea
Heath Kunzea Kunzea capitata
Dusky Coral Pea Kennedia rubicunda
Wedge guinea flower Hibbertia diffusa
Guinea Flower Hibbertia scandens
Wonga vine Pandorea pandorana
Old Man’s Beard Clematis aristate
Apple Berry Billardiera scandens
Native Raspberry Rubus parvifolius
Sweet sarsaparilla Smilax glyciphylla
Common maidenhair fern Adiantum aethiopicum
Rice Flower Ozothamnus diesmifolium
The broad-leaved geebung Persoonia levis
Barbed Wire Grass Cymbopogan refractus
White root or purplish pratia Pratia purpurascens
Hop goodenia Goodenia ovata
The wet weather seems set to continue for a third consecutive year with some meteorologists saying La Niña will last through to 2023.
To create a La Niña, sea surface temperatures across the equator to South America must be cooler, while winds carrying them through the sea must be high. When that cold water meets warm water around Papua New Guinea and northern Australia, rainfall increases.
Those climatic conditions are indicated for later this year. If they are correct, it would be the first time in more than 70 years we’ve had a ‘triple dip’ La Niña event — the wet weather pattern influenced by Pacific and Indian ocean currents — something that is undoubtedly being made worse by the breakdown of the climate as the Bureau of Meteorology has indicated.
The east coast of Australia is expected to get the worst of the predicted wet weather with New South Wales and Queensland right in the firing already this year.
Sydney has far surpassed any previous rainfall levels that we have ever recorded.
Tips for looking after your home when heavy rain is predicted:
• Check that all windows and doors can be safely closed and locked and include wellmaintained seals.
• Get expert advice about stormwater management.
• Get a qualified roofer to replace any broken tiles or ridge capping.
• Taking precautions to safeguard your property is best done well in advance of heavy rain.
The ‘capsule wardrobe’ emerged in the 1970s. It centres on fashion minimalism as opposed to fast fashion, where consumers buy numerous items of cheap, low-quality clothes which are then replaced in turn by next season’s items.
A capsule wardrobe features a few good quality, timeless items which can be rotated, minimising decision-making time when getting dressed, saving money, and reducing fashion wastage.
A key factor to the success of a capsule wardrobe is choosing items that you love and are happy to wear often. Another important consideration is how well the pieces go with others and whether they can be used for a variety of occasions, dressing up or down with accent pieces as the occasion demands.
There are many ways to achieve a capsule wardrobe, but below is an example of how to get started. You can use clothes you already have (and donate the rest if possible) or start anew with the goal of keeping the new or pre-loved clothes for as long as possible.
You may need to have a separate set for cold weather and warm weather.
Choose a few items with a base colour such as black or navy
Choose a few items with a neutral colour, such as white or beige
Choose a few items with an accent colour (bright or feature colour)
Places are limited. Please email erp@liverpool.nsw.gov.au with your name, suburb, phone number and number of people to book your spot.
The ‘Great Southern BioBlitz’, or ‘GSB’ for short, is an international period of intense biological surveying to record all the living species within several designated areas across the Southern Hemisphere in Spring.
This event highlights the immense biodiversity spread across the Southern Hemisphere in spring as well as engaging the public in science and nature learning using the citizen science platform iNaturalist.
In October-early November, the natural world is on full throttle. Flowers are blooming, insects are emerging, birds are singing, and reptiles are coming out of their winter hibernation. This is the ideal time for the Southern Hemisphere to observe nature.
The #GSB22 will be held from the 28 October until 31 October, incorporating different communities, areas, and regions across the Southern Hemisphere.
Anyone can participate– all you need to do is:
the iNaturalist
your
for the Project named ‘Nature Watch – Liverpool City Council’ and join
Start recording your interesting observations.
the Great Southern Bio Blitz website.
By iNaturalist user jewels22in Chipping Norton
Environment Group
Meet inside the park near the footpath on Reilly Street, Lurnea
Third Sunday of each month
9am – 11am
Join our enthusiastic volunteers who beautify our local parks and bushland by removing weeds and litter and plant native plants. Meet like-minded people, increase your knowledge of the environment, and create habitat for local wildlife.
Don’t have any experience? Don’t worry – our qualified staff are happy to provide training. All equipment is supplied.
Meet in the reserve at the intersection of Hemsworth Avenue and Stanley Avenue, Middleton Grange
Second Sunday of each month
9am – 11am
Meet at the park entrance at the end of Sammut Crescent, Chipping Norton
Last Saturday of each month
1pm – 3pm
Environment Group
Meet inside the park at the Gloria Taylor Reserve sign on Swain Street, Moorebank
Second Saturday of each month
9am – 11am
Harris Creek Reserve Environment Group
Meet at the Harris Creek Reserve Playground area on Troopers Mews, Liverpool
Second Sunday of each month 1pm – 3pm
Meet at the playground. Entry via the path off the crossing on Kendall Drive, Casula
Third Sunday of each month 2pm – 4pm
Meet at the seats inside the reserve at the end of Casula Road, Casula Second Saturday of each month, 12pm – 2pm
Come along to investigate the water quality of the Georges River.
Meet in the Light Horse Park car park, Riverpark Drive, Liverpool.
Last Sunday of each month
8am – 9am
Come along to investigate the water quality of the Georges River.
Meet in car park at Voyager Park on Orlando Crescent, Voyager Point.
Last Sunday of each month
9am – 11am
Come along to investigate the water quality of Cabramatta Creek.
Meet in the Ireland Park car park, Memorial Avenue, Liverpool.
Last Sunday of each month 12pm – 1pm
1-31 OCTOBER
Join the one-month challenge to buy nothing new (with exceptions like food, hygiene products and medications). This initiative is about thinking where products (finite resources) go when we are done with them (often landfill) and what alternatives are out there to extend the life of our purchases. For more tips and information, visit Buy Nothing New Month.
7-13 NOVEMBER
National Recycling Week is on 7 -13 November 2022. National Recycling Week explores the idea that waste isn’t waste until its wasted. Recycling rates in Liverpool have continued to rise with more and more residents doing their bit to protect the environment. Find out more about National Recycling Week here.
Join the Aussie Backyard Bird Count and keep an eye out for birds in your backyard or local area. By participating you will help Birdlife Australia find out about the common species that live where people live. All you need to do is observe your green patch for 20 minutes and record the results using the Aussie Bird Count app. There is a field guide built into the app to help you identify birds. For more information, visit Aussie Bird Count website or join the conversation with #aussiebirdcount.
OCTOBER 17-23 NOVEMBER
National Water Week inspires individuals, communities, and organisations to build awareness around the value of water.
Access to clean water is hugely important to our daily lives, and it’s down to all of us to protect our water environments and resources and use water wisely.
Visit National Water Week website for more details
