Insects
Our gardens and bushlands are host to many beneficial insects – The Guide to the Insects of Central Victoria focuses on these precious pollinators.
In the warmer months our gardens, farms and bush blocks are abuzz with butterflies, flies, bees, bugs and beetles. And now we have a local guide to help you identify these beneficial insects. This handy booklet is in the same format as Council’s flora, grasses, weeds and bird guides, and features over 220 local insect species in full colour.
The Upper Campaspe Landcare Network led the project to develop the guide, with partners Wombat Forestcare and local councils.
The guide features insects that are likely to be observed in your garden and nearby bushland – with a surprising number of native bee species, moths and native flies. These insects are much better adapted to pollinating our local flora than the introduced honeybee and do a great job in your vege garden as well.
Flick through the ebook below or click on the arrow to download a PDF copy of the guide. It is also available at Council offices and is being distributed by Landcare groups.
Recognising the role that indigenous pollinators play in maintaining a functional ecosystem, and the threats that they are facing, the Upper Campaspe Landcare Network (UCLN) developed the Pollinator Corridor Project – a cooperative, inclusive ongoing program designed to encourage the enhancement, establishment, and preservation of native pollinator habitat through the creation of Pollinator Corridors on private and public land.
Pollinator corridors are like biodiversity corridors designed for larger species, but pollinator corridors do not necessarily restore or protect habitat; instead, they can be designed and built in the middle of landscapes dominated by humans, such as agricultural land and urban streets.
The Upper Campaspe Pollinator Corridor Project is open to everyone. Your contribution can be as large as a field or roadside or as small as a flowering potted plant or butterfly puddler. Provided you can offer a sheltered spot, a safe waterer and year-round flowers, there will always be something in your garden, regardless of its size, to tempt pollinators to visit.
Free webinars, workshops and field days will run throughout the year across the Upper Campaspe Catchment, and you are invited to participate in them all.
Contact the UCLN to learn more about indigenous pollinators and how you can create healthy pollinator habitat and become involved in the Pollinator Project.
Image credit: a busy native bee on matted flax lily (Dianella amoena) © John Walter