Wimmera Rice-flower progress, Minyip
Minyip Landcare group members Corinne and Daryl show work-experience student Alex and Marney the Wimmera rice-flowers. Photo by Alicia Merriam
It was a perfect, albeit dry, day for some light Landcare work when we visited Minyip to tend to the Wimmera rice-flower plants, a rewarding activity to follow a lengthy Yarrilinks Landcare committee meeting, (I feel anyway).
The critically endangered species, Pimelea spinescens subsp. pubiflora, was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered on a roadside in 2005, and further surveying in 2007 identified plants in a handful more places across the Wimmera region, including Minyip. The Minyip site saw up to 180 individual plants identified, so, to assist the genetic diversity of the species, almost 150 seedlings were propagated by Victoria University for transplant at Minyip in 2021.
The Minyip Landcare group have been tasked with the care of these slow growing seedlings, but despite being a drought tolerant species, the ongoing regional dry prompted a small working-bee of volunteers to water what remains of the plantation. It was a great opportunity to show our Murtoa College work-experience student Alex local sites of conservation, and she eagerly busied herself with the task.
Wimmera Rice-flower, Minyip. Photo by Alicia Merriam
Charged with water-shuttle and buckets, thanks to Daryl, our little team set to work, first identifying the species amongst the grasses and weeds, to soak the roots of the plants. The rice flower plants have experienced minor die back due to the dry conditions but were otherwise green against the landscape. They have been growing steadily, and we hope to see some of them flower in the winter months, with ambition to collect and propagate seed from them in the future.
Job well done, the team continued on with a visit on to the 2025 Yarrilinks Plant Out site and a casual mosey through the Buloke trees, where we were able to appreciate a fat orb weaver spider enjoying the day. Thanks to Corinne for a tour of her block. Watch this space for more information on the Yarrilinks Plant Out, coming soon.
It is a Landcare priority to protect and conserve environments for native and indigenous species. Individual species, such as the Wimmera rice-flower serve a greater purpose to ecosystem symbiosis, which makes the restoration of this species hugely important to our local region. The Wimmera Rice-flower recovery project became part of the Wimmera Threatened Flora Project, which was funded federally by Natural Heritage Trust via the Wimmera Catchment Authority.
You can read more about the Wimmera rice-flower here.
And if you want to be part of environmental conservation and restoration in the Wimmera, or if you simply enjoy casual saunters through the bush, or if you’re praying for rain like us, join Landcare - here