Wild world of gardens

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Wednesday, 24 May 2023

Knoxfield resident Irene Kelly has created a haven for wildlife in her own yard, and it’s something she says anyone can do.

Irene, who is a member of the Knox Environment Society (KES), co-founded the Knox Gardens for Wildlife Program in 2006.

Knox City Council and KES have a longstanding partnership managing and delivering the volunteer-serviced program, which now involves over 1000 households.

Irene, who is also a volunteer with the program, helps others who want to create ‘stepping stones’ of habitat throughout Knox.

Her home garden provides habitat and food for beneficial insects and many native birds.

“The explosion of beneficial insect life in my garden is fantastic,” Irene says.

“I get native bees, beautiful butterflies and moths, dragonflies, and hover flies, as well as musk lorikeets, rainbow lorikeets and noisy miners. A tawny frogmouth has just nested in our garden and raised some chicks.”

The program is free to join. After registering, volunteers visit new participants' gardens to provide advice to create habitat to support local wildlife.

“The idea of Gardens for Wildlife is that you’re passing on and sharing knowledge that you’ve gained,” Irene says.

“We help people who were just like me when I started out, and make it easier to find information."

Volunteers are sought for the program. No experience is needed.

Find out more about Gardens for Wildlife.

Wild world of gardens

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