Learning at Landcare - Citizen Science and The Good, The Bad ,The Ugly

From the Awabakal seasonal calendar, we’re now entering Wunal, the hot time on Awabakal Country. Days are humid, nights are warm, mosquitoes are biting, and many animals are breeding and active. Afternoon storms often sweep in with lightning and heavy rain, though in some years Wunal brings dry heat and drought instead.

Australia, including Awabakal Country, moves to the rhythm of El Niño and La Niña, global climate cycles that shape whether Wunal brings rain or dryness. Climate change now adds further complexity, with hot weather sometimes arriving earlier or lasting longer. Toward the end of Wunal, as koyiwon (rain) increases, the weather begins moyiyakowa, cooling again.

This awareness of seasonal change reminds us that Country is constantly shifting and that caring for land means observing its patterns closely.

Learning through Citizen Science

In September, Landcare members learned about the iNaturalist citizen-science platform. We’ve since launched a Coal Point project, where locals can log sightings of plants and animals. These observations build a record of the area’s biodiversity and changes over time, valuable data for the community and researchers alike. 

One of our most exciting finds came from a bundle of decaying weeds, a blackish blind snake (Anilios nigrescens). These fascinating, non-venomous snakes spend most of their lives underground, eating ants, termites and their larvae. With their smooth scales, small dark eyes and tapering snout, they look a bit like shiny earthworms. They “taste” the air with their tongue to follow insect trails and use their upper jaw to rake prey into their mouth.

Blind snakes are part of the intricate food web of our bushland, preyed upon by owls, feral cats and foxes. Keep an eye out, though you’ll more likely find signs of them than the snakes themselves.

The Good: Spring in Full Bloom

Coal Point has been showing off a spectacular spring. Gardens are glowing, pollinators are busy, and the bushland is full of life and colour. Our native plants have put on a dazzling display, providing food and shelter for birds, insects and small creatures.

A heartfelt thanks to everyone contributing to this beauty, our Landcare volunteers, hall users, citizen scientists and those simply caring for their patch of land. You all help keep the peninsula flourishing.

One local plant to watch for over summer is Bursaria spinosa, known variously as Whitethorn, Blackthorn, Sweet Bursaria or Christmas Bush, and by the Dharawal names geapga and kurwan. This hardy, prickly shrub provides safe nesting spots for small birds. Its mid-summer flowers are creamy and sweetly scented, attracting butterflies and many other insects. Later, they form coppery, purse-shaped seed pods, hence the Latin name Bursaria (purse) spinosa (spiny). It’s a great native for gardens, growing 3–4 metres tall in sun or light shade with moderate drainage. A light prune keeps it bushy.

You’ll see Bursaria flourishing in West Ridge and Stansfield reserves, two of many local bushland pockets lovingly tended by our volunteers.

The Bad: Spanish Moss on the Move

Another plant catching our attention is Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides), also known as Old Man’s Beard. While pretty hanging from trees, this air plant can smother and damage its hosts in humid conditions. Without roots, it grows in long, silvery chains that can block sunlight and weigh down branches until they snap.

Spanish Moss has been spotted growing wild on Coal Point. You can help track its spread by recording sightings on iNaturalist under the project Tracking Spanish Moss in Australia.

When recording, note the distance from cultivated sources, host species (if known), urban or bushland location and the number of clumps.

If you love Spanish Moss in your garden, please keep it contained. If you find it in bushland, record it, then carefully remove and bin it. Let’s stop this escapee before it shades out and smothers our native trees.

The Ugly: Bagged but Not Beautiful

Finally, a plea from the Threlkeld Reserve team. During a recent Landcare morning, volunteers found four plastic bags of dog poo dumped in the bush. These weren’t the compostable kind, just ordinary plastic, left behind.

Please, if you’re walking your dog, use the compostable green Council bags and dispose of them in the green-waste bin. Our volunteers already give their time to look after the land, let’s not detract from their joy. Most dog owners do the right thing. Be one of them.

Learning from the Land

As Wunal’s warmth builds, Coal Point continues to hum with life, birds calling, cicadas buzzing and the scent of native flowers in the air. Each season brings lessons about resilience and renewal, and Landcare is one way we learn from Country while giving back.

Whether you’re a regular Thursday morning Landcarer, a hall helper, or simply someone who takes “one weed out each walk,” your care counts. Together we keep this place healthy, for people, wildlife and the next generation learning to love the land as we do.