This winter, 700 Iron-grass seedlings were planted at Tiliqua Nature Reserve.

As Tiliqua is home to nationally endangered pygmy Bluetongue lizards, revegetation work is more difficult than usual. Prior to work commencing, plots had to be mapped out by Nature Foundation staff member, Dr Lucy Clive, to ensure that digging holes for planting did not interfere with wolf and trapdoor spider holes, which are likely to be home to the lizards.

In addition, three Nature Foundation rotational managers created grazing exclosures around some of the newly planted iron grass seedlings to give them the best chance of survival by protecting them from sheep and kangaroos.

The revegetation work was carried out by staff and volunteers from Nature Foundation, the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board and Mid Murray Landcare SA. This work is part of a collaborative 'Iron-grass native grassland project' supported by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board and the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

We would like to thank Bec and Jay from Ngadjuri Nation who joined us on the second planting day. Nature Foundation is committed to engaging with Traditional Owners and acknowledge and respect the deep spiritual attachment and the relationship they have to country.

Photo: Kate Graham