Matt's story

Matt Appleby, Ecologist

Photo by Wayne Lawler / Ecopix

“As a botanist, I’m amazed by the diversity at Charles Darwin and Eurardy reserves. In one small area there are so many different plant species. Then you walk ten metres further and you’ve got another dozen species. They’re both stunning places – the reserve managers would kill me if I chose one over the other!

When you drive past nearby pastoral properties you see so much bare ground. But when you come onto our places and look under the york gums, you see greenery and carpets of flowers. It’s overwhelming this time of year – huge areas of bold pinks, whites, yellows and blues all mixed together.

	Wildflowers at Euradi Reserve. Photo: Julian Fennessy

Recently I sat down and went through the first five years of surveys and research done on Eurardy to see how we were going.

“The bird life has increased dramatically, which is a great indicator of how the reserve is improving.”

The activity of honeyeaters has nearly doubled right across the reserve.

In the heathlands at Eurardy and Charles Darwin, waxflowers, leschenaultias and grevillea are flourishing. The wildflower display this year is one of the best ever following good rains over summer and into winter.

At Charles Darwin, we’re already seeing honey-myrtles bouncing back after the extremely dry weather last year, and in the acacia shrublands, there is an impressive display of everlastings and small herbs.

It’s a great thing to be able to say, “Yes, we’re doing well.” It’s our supporters who help us get these results – our donors and our volunteers, who help with the painstaking work by hand. I think we’ve reached this 20th anniversary year because so many people continue to support us, in whatever way they can.”