Trish Brown wrote:

....snip.....

Secondly, *how* do I find out exactly *which* plant species are native to a very
narrow habitat area on the banks of the Hunter River? Nearly everything you can
see is simply RTA plantings, put there to 'restore' the native flora: it has
very little to do with what was there originally!

You are going to have to go to references to find out what grew there
originally as just about all the vegetation along the lower Hunter has
been cleared .

Then you could try and get sources as close to the area as possible.

If this is a commercial development with time constraints, the best you
could hope for is to buy the same species from local nursery. I'm
thinking the Forestry Commission nursery at Muswellbrook (?) might be
worth a visit.

However, if you want to maximise birds, etc, then you might have to
introduce other species from the region to get variety.

The real secret to attracting birds, etc is no chemicals, variety, no
cats or other predators, and being prepared to have dead trees for
borers, etc.

Most people just go for the grevilleas, etc, which are great for honey
eaters, but don't get insectivors.

Also, try for native grass patches and be prepared NOT to mow. As I was
explaining to someone, I don't mow under the orange tree in summer
because a certain grass grows there that produces seeds that finches
like. They come into our yard only when this grass is seeding. Oh, went
my wife, "well I had better stop weeding it out then" {:-)

However, by far the best tree in our suburban block is the very large
deep soil tree, which gets all sorts of bird continuously. what the
others get is just a trifle.

Just my 2c.