Mangroves to Mountains book gives it a common name of Black Thorn, whereas the label from Indigiscapes calls it Spiny Box. We are referring to it simply as Bursaria. It seems to be an important food plant for butterflies and cover for small birds so it is satisfying to see it performing well here. I will plant quite a few more in the area where it is thriving to create a real thicket to encourage the smaller native birds.
We are in the midst of a dry spell and I am carting water around the yard in an attempt to keep some recently planted native grasses and the like alive. To save having to return to a tap point too often I am using a 50L rubbish bin and garden cart to move water :
It works well as most of the movement I need to do is downhill on the driveway which helps minimise spillage - I don't bother with the lid. When I am near the plants needing water I use the bucket.
The rhubarb experiment is working well so far - the plant seems less stressed and has a couple of new leaves appearing :
I fill and freeze 3 empty milk containers each night and place them near the plant mid morning to try and reduce the temperature somewhat. It feels cooler but I haven't taken an actual temperature near the plant to compare with air temperature outside.
Whilst having lunch we heard a thud of a bird hitting a lounge room glass door - on investigation it was a sacred kingfisher that had come to grief. It was standing on the verandah decking stunned but after about 15 mins it flew away - hopefully without any permanent injury.
Scientific name: Todiramphus sanctus
No comments:
Post a Comment