One of the burdens of becoming environmentally aware is that everywhere you look, there are weeds! Native !species in abundance, but the now-educated eye is drawn to the weeds. Your heart sinks - what a mess we have made of this place! The work, the years of it, to make good each habitat.

At Barrm Birrm we are developing a method to counter despair and keep hearts light. On our monthly 'Wildflowers and Weeds' walk, we enjoy what is out on the slopes and in the hollows, and clear some weeds. In Barrm Birrm, you can actually make a difference. There's not that much weed, and focused effort will clear it. Nipping out a weed here and there as you walk let's you give back just a little as you breathe in the bounty of the place.

January 28 2023 saw us checking progress in the creekline where we previously cleared Watsonia. The lifted bulbs are rotting away well, leaving our route clear to the blackberry behind the Watsonia patch. Find the cluster of stems for each plant, cut, then dose the cut with roundup, within 20 seconds.

Then up through Goshawk Way, to the Rosy Hyancinth, and a workout on another patch of blackberry. Two hours in all, and we're done, feeling amazed by the wild world, and virtuous too!

Come to 'Wildflowers and Weeds', 4th Saturday each month, 10-12 from 288 Gap Road, and learn the calming art of weeding while walking.