A tour of the invisible

All the things we cannot see – a tour of the invisible

Our little patch of Country is very dry. It is hard for our spirits not to be the same. We are offering a special tour of the grounds this winter: “All the things we cannot see.”c

At this time of year we would usually expect to see new shoots all over the grasslands, lilies and mirnong with fresh new leaves, and many plants offering an extra flower or two before the cold sets in. This year plants are still in stasis. It is crunchy underfoot.

Grasslands are ephemeral by nature, and this means that many plants are only visible at certain times of the year; likewise, in grassland care and restoration there are many factors we need to take into consideration but which cannot be directly observed. We will discuss how to identify grassland species when they are not in flower, how to estimate soil nutrient concentrations without soil testing, and why “empty” space is critical to healthy and diverse grasslands.