A series of wildflower walks started on Sunday 22 August and will continue over the next three months.
The Granite Belt’s unique flora will be the focus of the wildflower walks, held by the Stanthorpe Rare Wildflower Consortium.
The first walk on Sunday 22 August was held in the Amiens State Forest, just west of Stanthorpe.
Spokesperson for the Consortium, Liz Bourne, said the walks aimed to show people some of the diversity of the flora of the Granite Belt as well as helping them to identify local species and learn more about their ecological requirements.
“We have been running these springtime walks for a number of years now and they have been very popular with visitors as well as the local community,” she said.
“A particular highlight of the first walk will be the endangered granite boronia, Boronia granitica, which is already in flower,” she said.
“This spectacular pink flowering shrub is only found on the Granite Belt and from a few isolated locations on the New England Tableland.
“After good autumn and winter rain, there will also be a profusion of many other wildflowers on display so there will be plenty to see in the forest.”
Ms Bourne said that as part of their activities to raise public awareness about the local flora, the group had produced a colour booklet which depicts over 250 of the species that people are most likely to come across and these would be available for sale at the walks.
She said that anyone with an interest in the Granite Belt’s wildflowers was invited to come along.
Ms Bourne said that the walks usually take a couple of hours but people are welcome to stay longer if they want to enjoy the diversity of wildflowers the area had to offer.
The Consortium encourages participants to bring a hat and water bottle and wear sturdy footwear.
The walk should be suitable for most ages and levels of fitness.
The next walk will be on Sunday 19 September to the Broadwater State Forest, with another planned for Sunday 17 October in Girraween National Park.
Details can be found at www.granitebeltwildflowers.com/2021-wildflower-walks
