Wild
Flower Tour of Epsom Grassland, Braeside.
The reserve was until seven years ago, just
a patch of grass in the middle of a race track. The area, including where
houses are today, was surveyed and recognised as
being highly significant. There are two
threatened plant communities: Herb-rich Plains Grassy Wetlands, which are
seasonally wet, and Plains Grassland (South Gippsland),
which is found in the slightly more elevated areas.
These two communities are protected by law and listed under
the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.
The City of Kingston undertakes on-going vegetation management for the
four hectare site.
There are over 90 species that occur within the
reserve, some of which are only found at the site:
§
Pimelea glauca, or Smooth Rice-Flower – The
white flowers are an excellent food source for butterflies.
§
Helichrysum rutidolepis, or Pale Swamp Everlasting.
Some other species that are commonly found are:
§
Poa labillardierei, or Common Tussock Grass.
Used by Kooris for basket weaving.
§
Themeda triandra, or Kangaroo Grass. Has purplish-blue foliage. This can be seen when looking over the
reserve. The flower stems were used by
the Kooris as string.
§
Danthonia sp, or Wallaby
Grasses. There are 5 species of Danthonias that are commonly found throughout this
reserve. They produce ‘fluffy’ seed
heads.
§
Apodasmia browni,
or Coarse Twine-Rush. A common rush
found throughout, this particular plant has separate male and female plants,
the male being that of a droopy flower head and burnt orange in colour, versus that of the female, growing as a small
bright red spikelet.
§
Lomandra longifolia, or Spiny Headed mat-rush.
A large green strappy tussock which Koori's
used for weaving baskets and fish traps.
§
Wurmbea dioica,
or Early Nancy. This is one of the early
flowering plants after the start of the Autumn rains. The tubers were eaten by Kooris.
§
Hemarthria uncinate, or Mat Grass. Patches of
this stands out due to the bright green foliage.
§
Phragmites australis, or Common Reed. A common,
but large native grass with a fluffy lower spike. Thrives in damp/wet conditions.
Animals commonly found throughout Epsom
Grassland.
Native grasses provide food and shelter
for insects and birds, and in the wetter areas provide suitable habitat for
frog species.
§
Anthus novaeseelandiae, or Richards Pipit. Ground
dwelling bird that nests throughout the Danthonia
patches.
§
Frog species. After rain numerous frog
species are heard calling including the common froglet.
§
Fresh water
crustaceans.
Large holes are found throughout, where they burrow and live during
drier conditions.
§
Snakes. Snakes are frequent
visitors to the reserve as it provides valuable habitat and food.
Fire:
Native vegetation benefits from fire
which promotes regeneration and reduces dead plant material. Fire is also used as a weed management tool
to kill weedy annual grasses. The
reserve is managed regularly to prevent the risk of wildfire.
Weed Control: The
weed control program encompasses a range of techniques, including slashing, use
of herbicide, and manual hand weeding.
Problem weeds found include wild carrot, which produces a large umbel of
white flowers during Spring/Summer; Paspalum, a
common pasture grass controlled through use of herbicide and slashing; and
Gorse, a prickly shrub that has bright yellow flowers, controlled by cutting
and painting with herbicide.
The outside perimeter is currently being revegetated (the buffer zone).
Some major issues at the reserve are:
§
Litter including garden waste - dumped rubbish tends to have weed seeds
throughout and puts excess nutrients in the ground which native plants don't
require.
§
Weeds - widespread throughout the reserve including many pasture
grasses.
§
Roaming domestic
animals, numerous birds and reptiles are
frequent visitors to this reserve and use it for habitat. Domestic animals, especially cats, tend to
hunt native wildlife.
There are many ways you can help to manage
and protect this reserve:
§
Keeping to the
boardwalks;
§
Keeping dogs on leash;
§
Not littering or
dumping rubbish (including lawn clippings);
§
Planting indigenous or native plants in
your garden;
§
Garden plants can seed and are blown
into our reserve where they become weeds.
For further information about Epsom, please
contact the City of Kingston’s Natural Resources team on 1300 653 356.
Information provided thanks to the City
of Kingston.
Greening Australia Victoria supports this project through
the Urban Natural Environments Grant
Back to the MBCL Resource Page