December monitoring
Our December monitoring round confirmed the dunes are in good condition. Overall the previously restored areas are looking good and are currently going through their annual flush of spring grass growth. Previous monitoring has shown that this dies off later in summer and so is seldom a concern for the success of new plantings. However we’ll be targeting the more invasive weeds in the next couple of working bees to make sure the natives have a good chance of getting established before the dry months of summer kick in.
Spinifex self-seeding at Sumner Beach
We now know of several self-seeded Spinifex plants on Sumner beach and this is the first time this has happened since Spinifex became extinct in the area. The seed almost certainly came from the previously restored area and shows that Spinifex is really making a comeback and could be soon capable of look after itself! This is important as cycles of beach erosion will often wipe out some parts of the Spinifex habitat, which then naturally re-establish from healthy plants in neighbouring areas.
Sumner Coastcare Project 