Did you know there are over 1,800 different Plant Community Types in NSW? Do you know which one you live in? Each native forest has a unique character – a biodiversity fingerprint of place.
In our valleys, wet eucalypt forests bridge the winter food gap for species like Yellow-bellied Gliders. Paperbark wetlands ripple with frogs and waterbirds, while the dry ridge tops support some of the most extraordinary wildflowers in the world.
Recently, some locals allowed me to set wildlife cameras on their properties to take a close look at one of our most striking and threatened forest types: Somersby Plateau Forest.
There was such a bustle of unseen life: small birds and mammals feasting and foraging, including the utterly gorgeous Eastern Pygmy Possum, no bigger than a golf ball, stretching on tippy toes to feed on a banksia flower.
To see the action, head to Keep it Wild Wollombi on Facebook (you can use the QR code, even if you’re not on Facebook). If you live on the land, you have the opportunity to help preserve the integrity of these forest types and the biodiversity they support. Further resources are in the comments or drop me a question there.
Wendy Gleen
