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Save Our Waterways Now (SOWN) Enoggera Creek's aquatic native plants essential!
SOWN is known for planting along the creeks in our catchment, but what’s in the creek? Weeds!
Yes, but there are also aquatic native plants submerged and emergent. Emergent plants - those growing out of the waterinclude sedges, bull rushes and aquatic herbs. These native plants are important habitat for native animals of all sizes.
Recently there has been renewed interest in the presence of platypus in Enoggera Creek and it’s tributaries, Fish Creek and Ithaca Creek. Plants along the banks provide cover for shade and protection for this shy animal. In-stream plants are important for small invertebrates, yabbies and worms that make up the diet of platypus. Without these submerged plants it is unlikely that there will be enough food for these egg laying mammals to survive. Loss of native submerged plants results in reduced numbers or the absence of larger animals, including platypus.
Native invertebrates are fussy eaters ignoring introduced weeds and having a diet restricted to the plants that have evolved with them. Exotic or non-native plants are often introduced into our creeks when the owners of home aquariums decide to release the fish and plants into our local creeks in the false belief that they are doing the right thing. Most of the introduced weeds will grow from tiny pieces that are caught along with fish when they are being released into the creeks. These tiny pieces of weed grow rapidly and displace our native submerged plants. In the long run, we loose a lot of animals and plants including platypus.
There has been reliable sighting of platypus in the Enoggera Catchments in recent time, but these are rare, and a resurgence will need the rehabilitation of local environment to provide habitat for platypus. Perhaps if we build it, they will come.
SOWN activities and site events are listed on our webpage (SaveOurWaterwaysNow. com.au), or simply type SOWN into your webpage browser and go to our home page. You can also catch up on SOWN happenings via facebook - https:// www.facebook.com/ saveourwaterwaysnow.