Seeds of change: Strathallan Family Landcare member Sharon Herne alongside group president and vice-president Veronica and John Groat, respectively.
Photo by
Nicole Thomson
Bendigo Bank has taken its mantle as a community bank to a new level, becoming a makeshift nursery to celebrate Wattle Day.
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Wattle Day coincides with the first day of spring and this year the Strathallan Family Landcare group has made it easier to celebrate.
Free seeds of four different varieties of wattle trees have been placed in the foyer of the Bendigo Bank branch in Rochester by the group.
The long-term aim of the group is to improve habitat and food for the local endangered squirrel glider.
"When we were kids Wattle Day was a big deal and then it became forgotten," Strathallan Family Landcare president Veronica Groat said.
"Our Landcare group decided to bring back Wattle Day.
"We thought we'd collect seeds and give them away."
Doing it for Gladdy: Gladys 'Gladdy', a squirrel glider, the unofficial mascot of Strathallan Family Landcare group.
Photo by
Nicole Thomson
The group has supplied images and some information about the different varieties of wattle to accompany the seed packets.
"They can be planted in backyards and we say to people that they can always trim them back as they grow," Ms Groat said.
The wattle varieties are a major source of food for the endangered squirrel glider in the area.
"(Wattles) are a 24/7 food source for gliders," Ms Groat said.
"Not only do they come for the florals, but they eat their weight in insects every year: most people think they're after the blossoms, but they're after the insects.
"If they get hungry, they scrape the trunk and sap comes out and the sap is a really good source of protein and all of the nutrients they need."
The free seeds are available in the Rochester Bendigo Bank foyer for people to call in and collect.
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