Koalas and Flying Gardeners?

By: Michael Fox

After my Cubs in Mud post two weeks ago I received this comment from a local environmental professional:

“Hi Mike, You could include our long range pollinators, flying foxes and lorikeets in anything about pollination as these are our primary pollinators in Australia and are going to play a far bigger part in species ability to cope with climate change compared to insect pollination.”

While I agreed with the point, I really thought this was too contentious an issue for our group to take on. So I was very pleased when Jerry Coleby-Williams last night introduced the Gardening Australia audience to one of Australia’s most important pollinators … fruit bats or flying foxes. Jerry refers to these fascinating mammals as Flying Gardeners because of their vital role in pollinating our native trees and keeping our forests healthy. As bat carer Denise Wade tells Jerry in the segment:

‘No bats, no trees; no trees, no koalas’

Fruit bats in our gardens eating our pawpaws?

Denise and Jerry show us simple ways to protect our fruit trees without hurting bats or birds.

The Wildlife Friendly Fencing Project also has plenty of information and videos for the DIY gardener.