Re-vegetation Photos

These are photos of 're-vegetation' of the region around the Lower Lakes, South Australia.

          November 2009                                      May 2010

photos by Ian Rowan of Dunn's Lagoon, near Clayton, South Australia

This is a picture of 'non-vegetation' of acid soils. This photo from November 2009 is at the entrance of Dunn's Lagoon. The previous four months had been wet (hence the boggy soil) and by November it is expected that the warmer weather and fresh rainwater would have helped natural vegetation to become established.

However this photo on the left clearly shows that although the sandy areas on both sides are vegetated, the marginal plants are looking decidedly sick as is the one and only only plant in the centre of the photo. Click to enlarge the photos.

Have a look at the photo on the right taken May 2010 of the same site now that the water has risen about 0.4m. This is all natural (not planted) as the plants are the same as those that are rather sick in the photo above from November 2009.  According to CLLMM, "The plant species in the photo is commonly known as 'Yellow Button' or 'Waterbuttons'.  Its scientific name is Cotula coronopifolia. This is a native species and generally grows at the edge of swamps and in marshy ground."

What some of our Lake Needs Water members are noticing is that while there is a plethora of plants regenerating on the area which would have been covered by the water after the barrages, there is nothing at all below the old shore line (before the barrages). This is the highly acidic part which is being seeded and limed presently. (May 2010)

Read about DEH's aerial liming program for Boggy Lake.