Yaapeet’s Native Plants – Changes Over 30 Years

How well do you know the native plants in your local Nature Reserve?

Get to know Yaapeet’s native plants – on the Nature Reserve on the east of the town/school boundary from an historic collection (made in 1988) and a walk/survey to be made today.

For National Science Week, Yaapeet PS is bringing back Rod Newnham its local expert, botanist, former park ranger and YPS parent (who made the original collection), from 30 years ago to inform and inspire us to notice and know our local native plants.

We have recently rediscovered the well-preserved plant collection made by the school with Rod in 1988 and will to use them to see changes since then.

The morning will be spent with the school children preparing with Rod for the afternoon, when the community will be invited to come on a guided walk into our Nature Reserve (beside the school) and see what is there and discover what may have changed.

If you can’t be there, we plan to prepare a display from these two samplings (1988, 2018) for the school centenary in October.

The Royal Botanic Gardens is interested in this 1988 collection – if we can identify the species of each plant sample. For this we need Rod’s help, and to direct any preparation needed for their final resting place.