Welcome to Kambarang 🏵️
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Kaya! Hello!
October 2023
🏵️ Kambarang is here! 🏵️
The return of hot weather signals the start of the Noongar season Kambarang, represented by the colour yellow.
Following on from Djilba, we continue to see an explosion of colour with plants blooming throughout the Perth region, including yellow Acacias, some Banksias, kangaroo paws, and the tiny white flowers of balga spikes. We'll begin to see more reptiles awakening from their winter hibernation, as they move to bask in the sun and search for food.
In October, mental health awareness month, we reflected how "tending to plants can help us to relax, connect with others, connect with culture, and take care of the environment" (Headspace). Take care of yourself and the environment, enjoy your garden and invited guests this season, and every season!
Keep reading for our Kambarang gardening tips and this season’s featured plants and animals, and upcoming events including workshops for creating nest boxes and planting natives in small spaces!
If you have any feedback or requests for newsletter topics, please email us with your ideas – we love to hear from you!
*‘Kaartdijin Noongar – Noongar Knowledge’ from the South West Aboriginal Land & Sea Council
TOP TIPS FOR THE SEASON
Annuals seed collection.
Did you know, one everlasting flowerhead can provide 100-200 seeds! Kambarang is a great time to collect the flowerheads of annuals like everlasting daisies and store for next spring's display! Be sure to wait until the flowerhead begins to droop and petals to fall - the seed need to develop on the flowerhead to be viable, so you don't want to collect too early! Remember to store flowerheads or seed in a paper bag to allow moisture to escape and pop them in the freezer for 24-hours if you are concerned about any seed-eating insects in your collection!
Make the most of your water
As the weather heats up, be sure to begin regular watering of this year’s new seedlings and plants – a good drink twice a week will help them establish their root system and survive the hot weather to come.
It’s also an important season to ensure your soil is absorbing water and isn’t hydrophobic or water repellent. Apply a small amount of water to the soil surface to check - if it pools and runs off, rather than absorbs, then your soil is hydrophobic and plants are not getting the water or nutrients they need. Heads up - apply the same test to potted plants – check that water is absorbed into the soil and not just pooling on top and running down the side of the pot. We recommend applying a liquid soil wetting agent to any area you are watering; this will allow our precious water to absorb to where it's needed most - the plant roots!
Enjoy your garden day and night!
There is plenty in flower this season so many critters will be feasting. Take some time out to investigate what sort of bees, butterflies and other insects are using your garden while enjoying the colours and smells of your flowers - appreciate the seasonal changes. Become a backyard scientist and record what you see on the Atlas of living Australia to support research and conservation.
Plus, now that it is warming up, nighttime becomes a great time to enjoy being outside in Perth! Why not set up some strategic solar lighting to transform your garden into a beautiful place to cool off and spend time with family, friends and wildlife.
Time for a light prune
Many plants are coming into a growing period, so, it is a good time to do some light shaping. A simple 'tip-pruning' of any plants that are looking a bit straggly will help maintain their desired shape as the plant will grow shoots lower down and fill out.
Be sure not to prune too hard though! Depending on the plant, often just the top couple of centimetres of the plant’s growing tips will be enough. You want to avoid cutting down to the hard woody stems as this will leave the plant vulnerable in the heat. Be mindful before you start - look out for any small bird nests so that you can limit disturbance and soon-to-flower stems so you can wait and allow wildlife and yourself to enjoy the flowers before you prune.
PEOPLE OF REWILD
Meet Jason and explore his small yet incredibly diverse Gosnells bush garden. Jason’s passion for nature and sharing knowledge made him a valued founding member in the team that created the ReWild Perth program.
"Gardens never stay the same, constantly changing with the seasons. This is only amplified as the garden ages. Having a ReWild garden is all about embracing and responding to this ebb and flow of nature. I love how I'm learning something new every season."
Do you want to feature in People of ReWild? Show off your progress and share what you've learnt along the way - log into the website and fill in this form.
FLORA FEATURE
Summer Starflower (Calytrix flavescens). Image by: Loxley Fedec
Scientific name: Calytrix flavescens
Noongar name: Koorin
This sunny sensation brightens gardens across WA during Kambarang and Birak (Nov-Jan), providing habitat and food for many invertebrate species. As a waterwise showy shrub, Summer Starflowers perform well in full sun and are ideally placed at the front of a garden bed for a pop of colour! Plant your seedlings in Djeran (mid-Autumn) prior to Makuru rains and water twice a week during their first summer.
Honey Possum on Ground Banksia. Image by: Bo Janmaat
Scientific name: Banksia blechnifolia
Noongar name: Unknown
These showy red-pink blooms appear from Djilba to Kamabarang (Sep–Nov), providing a welcome source of nectar for wildlife like WA’s tiny honey possums! As the name suggests, the Ground Banksia is perfectly suited as a groundcover towards the front of your ReWild garden. Check out Kings Park’s Banksia Garden to be inspired by these beauties and an array of other blooming Banksia species.
Swan River Daisy (Brachyscome iberidifolia): Image by: Perth NRM
Scientific name: Brachyscome iberidifolia
Noongar name: Unknown
Looking for an easy-to-grow, versatile plant? This small annual plant performs well in full sun or light shade, and produces showy purple to white flowers from Djilba through to Djeran (Sep–May). Despite its common name, this species is not only found along the banks of the beautiful Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River) but all throughout the Perth region and beyond!
CREATURE FEATURE
Yellow Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa itea). Image by: Stephen Snow / Atlas of Living Australia
Scientific name: Vanessa itea
Noongar name: Bindi Bindi, Barn Barn (Butterfly)
These striking butterflies with contrasting orange, brown and black colourings frequently flutter to Perth home gardens. They prefer garden spaces with ground covers, shrubs and native flowers such as Everlastings or the Balga pictured here. You'll often see them sunning themselves on logs or rocks.
Goulds Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus gouldii). Image by: James Booth
Scientific name: Chalinolobus gouldii
Noongar name: Babitj (Bat)
Did you know we have nine species of microbats here in Perth? Gould’s Wattled Bats have adapted well to urban areas and can be seen around home gardens, particularly near wetland areas. Babitj are voracious predators of insects such as mosquitoes, so they are worth millions of dollars in pest control each year!
Australian Magpie. Image by: William Betts / BirdLife Photography
Scientific name: Gymnorhina tibicen
Noongar name: Kulbardi
Did you hear magpies make Australia’s favourite animal sound? Their melodic family chorus can be heard all throughout Perth gardens. Magpies usually pair for life and build their nests in twigs, bark, and other materials found in home gardens. Maintain large trees and shrubby undergrowth around your home to provide suitable nesting and foraging habitats.
Bobtail (Tiliqua rugosa). Image by: Jason Pitman
Scientific name: Tiliqua rugosa
Noongar name: Yoondarn
Yoondarn mate for life and can live for over 30 years old, so they could be lifelong visitors to your home garden! Help them out by having a good layer of mulch for foraging and provide a shallow dish of water to drink from. If you have a pond, be sure to partly submerge a large rock or log to provide an easy escape if Bobtails or other animals accidentally fall in.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Build a Nest Box with Re-Cyc-Ology & ReWild (Joondalup)
Learn how to support wildlife in your garden, then get hands-on in a guided nest box building workshop with special presenter Simon Cherriman (Re-Cyc-Ology Project) and the ReWild Perth team.
Date: Friday 10 November 2023
Time: 3:30 - 6:00pm (after school)
Location: Joondalup Public Library
Book your tickets here!
With thanks to the support of Lotterywest, ReWild Perth's major supporter and the City of Joondalup.
ReWild Nest Box Workshop @The Forest Festival (Kalamunda)
Fancy a trip into the forest? Celebrate fresh air, wild spaces, nature and enjoy lots of family fun at The Forest Festival. Pop into the Kalamunda Community Centre to say hi to the ReWild Perth team, sign up for the nest box workshop and learn how support your garden's wildlife guest, plus meet native animals as part of the animal parade!
Date: Sunday 12 November 2023
Time: 12:00 - 4:00pm
Location: Jorgensen Park, Kalamunda
Register here!
This event is hosted by the Kalamunda Nature Reserves Preservation Group with the support of the City of Kalamunda.
Grow Natives in Small Spaces (Lockridge)
Discover innovative and funky ways to make the most of small outdoor spaces - create your own garden oasis while providing habitat for our birds and bees.
Date: Thursday 7 December 2023
Time: 5.45pm - 7.30pm
Location: Alice Daveron Centre, Lockridge
Book your tickets here!
With thanks to the support of Lotterywest, ReWild Perth's major supporter and the City of Swan.
Keep an eye on our Events & News page for upcoming events!
OTHER EVENTS
1-31 October - Mental Health Awareness Month
3-12 November - Frog ID Week
5 November – Friends of Kings Park Plant Sale
11 - 19 November – Australian Pollinator Week
13 - 19 November – National Recycling Week
4 - 10 December – CoastCare Week
5 December – World Soil Day
5 December – International Volunteer Day
ReWild Perth is powered by Perth NRM with funding from Lotterywest.
