eNews #25

• 24th November - Making Every Drop Count - Banded Bee Farm
• 25th November - Making Every Drop Count - Armidale Tree Group
• 26th November - Making Every Drop Count - Uralla Library
• 27th November - Making Every Drop Count - Black Mountain Nursery
• 27th November - Making Every Drop Count - Guyra Neighbourhood Centre
• 28th November - Making Every Drop Count - Walcha Neighbourhood Centre
• 29th November - Making Every Drop Count - The Alternate Root
• 30th November - Making Every Drop Count - Uralla Rivecare Group Picnic
• 3rd December - Click with Confidence (Uralla)

A rare and critically endangered shrub, Asterolasia rupestris subsp. recurva, has been found thriving on a private property near Armidale — the only known place in the world where it grows.

Landholders Stephen Walkden-Brown and Yvonne Langenberg discovered the bright-yellow flowering plant on their 200-hectare property after a visit from the Armidale Plant Society in 2020.

A survey by botanist Lachlan Copeland in 2021 identified 115 plants, and recent monitoring has revealed more than 600 seedlings, offering hope for the species’ recovery.

The NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) is working with the couple to monitor and protect the population, highlighting the vital role private landholders play in biodiversity conservation.

Common Names: Blackberry, Bramble, European Blackberry, Shrubby Blackberry, Wild Blackberry

Scientific Name: Rubus fruticosus

Succession Stage: Early to Mid-Succession Accumulator

Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) is one of the most recognisable pioneer plants in Australian landscapes.

Often found colonising disturbed or degraded sites — such as overgrazed paddocks, eroded gullies, or previously forested areas — it plays a role in stabilising soil and rebuilding organic matter, even though it is classed as an invasive species.

Typical landscapes where blackberry thrives share common traits: limited organic matter, degraded or eroded soils, and disrupted hydrology.

Its presence often signals a landscape in need of regeneration and balance.

Published in 2016, the publication provides a summary of past and present stream improvement projects undertaken by the Uralla Rivercare Group (URG) and outlines the new and ongoing works for the continued care and maintenance of URG sites along Uralla Creek. 

Full publication can be downloaded here.