Half an hour from the Victoria/NSW border, nestled in the shadows of Pine Mountain, lays Pheasant Creek Flora Reserve – the current home of two programs to help threatened flora.
Recently, Dr Floret Meredith, Environmental Scientist – Flora, joined John Silins, Ranger Tallangatta, and two staff members from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) on a trip up to Pheasant Creek to not only progress these missions, but to demonstrate the critical role Parks Victoria plays in utilising science-backed actions to create positive outcomes in conservation.
The Shelley Leek Orchid
Identifiable due to its leek-like hollow leaves and small-but-fragrant flowers – that can range from greenish to reddish in colour – the Shelley Leek Orchid (Prasophyllum uvidulum) is a critically endangered species of flora.
While there may have once been more populations nearby, currently, Pheasant Creek has the one and only population cluster. The team's mission was to remove plant matter from the area.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, this is a critical task when monitoring and caring for endangered flora species. Clearing the space to give the plants room to breathe? It's a must do. Without this intervention, the remaining orchids would be starved of light and nutrients – eventually fading away. It's like having your parent come in and clean your room for you.
Fragmented, remnant populations cause concern because there isn't a back-up. If there are fires, floods, pest plant invasion, animals or disease, the plants have nowhere else to go. And with no plants left to recolonise, this is a recipe for extinction.
"Due to the wet nature of Pheasant Creek, rapid growth of sedges makes it hard for the orchid to complete its lifecycle," says Floret.
"If more populations were present in the landscape, the dynamic processes of wetlands wouldn't be such a worry – but since this site is the only spot where these orchids are known to exist, controlling biomass just before the orchid emerges should give it the leg-up it needs to emerge, gather resources, flower and set seed."
The Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) hope to collect seed and establish an ex-situ population to help safeguard this species against extinction, and to potentially reintroduce it to remnant or rehabilitated habitat.
Close up of the Shelley Leek Orchid (Prasophyllum uvidulum). Credit: Dean Rouse, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Floret's Flora Fun Facts:
It's important to learn about these critically endangered plants, so that we foster an understanding of how it works in its environment. To expand our knowledge, Dr. Floret Meredith has shared some of her fun facts about the beautiful and fascinating Shelley Leek Orchid below:
- The Shelley Leek Orchid spends most of its time underground. It has a single, hollow leaf that is often withered at flowering, so only flowering plants are detectable. Most years only 10-25 plants are found, but after the 2019-20 fires 300 individuals were located (potentially stimulated by the fire or released temporarily from competition with sedges).
- Wetlands are often highly dynamic systems, with many species adapted to withstand bad conditions and go bonkers during good ('boom-bust'). The periods elapsing between good and bad conditions can be weeks, months, years or even decades, depending on location. Classification of wetland plants ranges from aquatic through to terrestrial, with species preferring degrees and durations of inundation to complete their lifecycles.
- The Shelley Leek Orchid requires winter-wet seepage areas at the margins of a seasonal swamp, and tends to be either in or proximal to areas that are seasonally inundated. It prefers a sunnier aspect on a slight slope. In addition to losing suitable spots due to land use change and the usual worries about pest plants and animals, this means that the orchid is also susceptible to processes that disturb hydrology – including construction of roads and drainage lines, siltation from erosion, or changes in hydrological patterns (duration, amount, and frequency of water availability).
- The Shelley Leek Orchid is an honest plant and offers its pollinators a nectar reward – unlike some of its sneakier orchid relations.
These types of fun facts are more than trivia – they're critical to supporting efforts to help threatened species survive and thrive in the wild.
"Plants like the and Leek Orchid are adapted to deal with bad times, but they can only put up with so much," says Floret.
The efforts of the Tallangatta team in deer control, weed management, and the installation of an exclosure fence at Pheasant Creek is critical in protecting species like these, which are right at the very edge of slipping into the void.
"PV is at the frontline in the fight against extinction, but frankly we have too many battles. This is why it is critical that we make every management effort count with science-based action, and that we position ourselves to leverage support and partnership."
Want to find out about how the Science and Knowledge team are partnering with the Royal Botanic Gardens to further their work on protected flora? Check out this article.
Biodiversity Month
Biodiversity Month is celebrated each September and promotes the importance of connecting with nature and caring for the environment in all it's fantastic diversity!
Biodiversity is the variety of all living things; the different flora, fauna and microorganisms, the genetic information they contain and the ecosystems they form.
At Parks Victoria, we protect the best examples of nature, managing a diverse estate of more than 4 million hectares including 3,000 land and marine parks and reserves.
We know the survival of our wildlife, plants and natural habitats is critical to our own survival – our health and wellbeing, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the places we go.
So why not get out into nature this September and remember why caring for nature is as important as caring for yourself.
