PlantFest25 blog

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Wetlands like Perry Lakes are dynamic, living systems that depend on a delicate balance of water, soil, and vegetation. While the towering trees and open waters often take centre stage, it’s the understory and dryland species—the grasses, sedges, rushes, and shrubs—that play a quiet but critical role in restoring ecological function and resilience.

This is at the heart of why we plant. As part of PlantFest ’25, Friends of Perry Lakes will be planting 4,000 native seedlings, with many drawn from hardy, locally adapted dryland species. These plants are not only visually diverse and beautiful, but they also work hard: stabilising sandy soils, outcompeting invasive weeds, and creating habitat and shelter for birds, insects, and reptiles.

Among the standout species are:

• Conostylis oculata, a tufted perennial that forms dense ground cover and provides shelter for small fauna.
• Microlaena stipoides, or weeping grass, known for its erosion control properties and tolerance to dry conditions—perfect for binding soil along the drier margins of the wetland.
• Austrostipa elegantissima, a native spear grass that contributes structure and foraging space for invertebrates and small marsupials.
• Ficinia nodosa (Knobby Club-rush), a robust sedge that excels in both wet and dry zones, helping with water filtration and stabilisation near lake edges.
• Lepidosperma longitudinale and Gahnia trifida are important sedges that support bank stability, frog habitat, and bird nesting. At PlantFest '25, we’re planting them in dense clusters under large trees like Flooded Gums, creating shady, sheltered areas we call “Quenda Corners.” These provide cover for quenda as they move between Bold Park, where they forage, and West Lake, where they access water. By restoring these protective corridors, we’re helping support safe passage and habitat for one of our region’s most vulnerable native mammals.

These plants—and many others like them—form the ecological foundation of Perry Lakes' recovery. Over the past four years, Friends of Perry Lakes has planted more than 12,000 native plants across both East and West Lake. This sustained effort isn’t just about quantity—it’s a direct implementation of the Perry Lakes Management Plan 2021–2031, which outlines a long-term strategy to restore biodiversity, improve habitat connectivity, and build climate resilience through community-driven action.

These carefully chosen plants not only bring birdsong, frog calls, pollinators, and colour back to the landscape—they also play a vital role in rebuilding safe breeding habitats for native fauna such as the quenda (southern brown bandicoot) and the South-western snake-necked turtle. Dense understory provides crucial shelter for ground-dwelling species, while sedges and grasses along lake margins protect nesting sites and egg-laying zones. Together, these plants are transforming Perry 

Lakes from a dry parkland into a functioning wetland ecosystem—alive, complex, and capable of supporting the full lifecycle of native wildlife.

Planting is conservation in action. It’s science in motion. And at Perry Lakes, it’s the community—our members, volunteers, and citizen scientists—who are making it happen.