Ever wondered what a platypus eats, how to remember native plant names, or what it takes to bring a river back to life? Today, Siwan sits down with Jed Pearson from the Rivers of Carbon team to answer some of these questions.

Jed has journeyed from Armidale to the ACT and his dedication to conservation through Waterwatch and Rivers of Carbon has only grown as he has learned on and cared for Country. We dive deep into the importance of riparian zones and the various vegetation layers that contribute to a thriving ecosystem, tackling erosion strategies and a case study on the Gudgenby River in the ACT. Jed explains the challenges of planting vegetation for erosion control and the importance of understanding local flora. We also explore plant identification techniques that, despite sometimes frustrating botanical names, help ensure high survival rates for the vegetation planted. This chapter serves as a valuable guide for those looking to mitigate erosion with site-specific approaches and expert consultation.

Lastly, we journey into the fascinating world of macroinvertebrates and their critical role in waterway health. Through the Rivers of Carbon project and Waterwatch program, we underscore the importance of accessible information and citizen science in monitoring water quality. Jed shares how these tiny creatures act as keystone species and indicators, vital to the diets of platypuses and overall ecosystem health. Jed also shares some very amusing ways to remember tricky species names!

"A billion trees were cut down before 1900. If you think of the effort it took, with axe and saw, to cut down a billion trees... you can see that it's probably going to take the same amount of effort to put them back."
— Jed Pearson

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Here are some of Jed’s top tips for remembering similar species of similar native flora and others, too!

• How to tell difference between Scribbly Gum (Eucalyptus rossii) and Brittle Gum (Eucalyptus mannifera) – Rossii has wrinkly armpits (compression wrinkle where main branches join the trunk), Mannifera has no wrinkles. ‘Wrinkly Rossii and manicured Mannifera’.
• Help remembering dock species – Native Swamp Dock (rumex brownii) written in shorthand is RUM BRO; ‘Can I have a rum, bro?’. Exotic Curled Dock (Rumex crispus); ‘Can I have a packet of crisps, bro?’.
• How to tell difference between native Sheeps Burr (Acaena ovina) and exotic Sheeps Burnet (Sanguisorba minor) – Sheeps Burnet has a pom-pom shaped seed head to sits on the end of the stalk. Sheeps Burr has burr-like seed that runs up the length of the stalk. Burnet and pom-pom are very French sounding words, where this plant come from, whereas Australians are burr-like and rough.
• Identifying Chilean Needlegrass vs native Spear Grasses – The fleshy membrane on the end of a Chilean Needlegrass (Nassella neesiana) seed will possess a ring of small hair called a Corona. ‘Hairy Chileans drink coronas.’
• Identifying Dillwynia species apart from other ‘Bacon and Egg’ bushes – Dillwynia flowers are bowtie shaped. ‘Dills wear bowties.’
• Differentiating between reeds, sedges or grasses – ‘Sedges have edges, reeds are round, grasses leaves can bend and touch the ground. Referring to the shape of the stalk and leaf blade.
• Native Sorghum (Sorghum leiocladum) – Possess ring of hairs around its nodes. Looks like it ‘wears a tutu’.
• To help remember to taxonomic rank – Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species = King Phillip Came Over For Good Supper.

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Resources:

• Rivers of Carbon Resources
• Tubestock Guide
• Managing stock and waterways on your property
• ACT Waterwatch
• Waterwatch Water bug detective guide