species live in logs,wall cavities or the bases of potted plants.

Ants prefer dry areas,so greater water absorption into a pot is an ant deterrent.To increase the water-holding ability of potting mix add organic matter and water the potted plant well.Move pot plants regularly to stop ants from nesting in them.

If you spot ants on your citrus,you can be almost certain that aphids,psyllids,mealy bugs or scale will also be present.Ants carry sap-sucking insects onto plants then the ants feed on the pests sugary secretions. ey protect the pests for food reward. e outcome is a weakened plant and a black sooty mould that covers the plant’s leaves,a result from the sugars on the leaves’surface. Horticultural glue or vaseline applied to masking tape wrapped around a tree trunk will prevent ants climbing up.If there is a load of pests a spray of white oil will kill them.Otherwise leave the infestation to natural predators.

feeding on caterpillars,various larvae including fruit y and codling moth (the bane of apple growers),and many small insects.

My ant management is to do nothing much.I have blocked off the hole that let them into my kitchen,hosed off the aphids,squashed the scale and mealybugs.I am adverse to the lazy option of quick x chemical use.

at said,when I once had a vege garden in Far North Queensland I was painfully stung every other day by the aggressive jumping ant.Regrettably the only way I could get rid of them was by using a deadly ant dust.

Some ants have been introduced into Australia and if spotted need to be reported . e exotic plant pest hotline (also for insects)1800 084 88 or email biosecurity@dpi.nsw.gov.au.

Ants are an important vector in seed dispersal.Around 1500 species of Australian plants produce seeds that have a coating that ants eat after transporting the seeds to their underground nest.

e seed itself is discarded into the nest rubbish tip where it is inadvertently protected from predators and re.Stick insects lay seed lookalike eggs which ants transport to their nest. e hatchlings even look and smell like ants.

Ants are predators in the garden,

Argentine ants are an ecological pest. ey eliminate other ants from their area,will attack nesting birds and their hatching eggs,native fauna and beehives.

Yellow Crazy ants have a long body and very long legs and antennae. ey have an erratic walking style. ey can disrupt natural ecosystems,affect horticulture and cause skin and eye irritations. ese ants are on the world’s 100 worst invasive alien species list. ese ants were detected and eradicated in the quad area in Lismore a few years back.

(continued on page 9)

Lismore and Ballina Shires

Richmond Landcare is inviting landholders in the Lismore and Ballina Shires to participate in koala habitat restoration projects,in a bid to improve the quality and extent of koala habitat. ese projects aim to help achieve the NSW Government's ambitious target of doubling the number of koalas in the state by 2050, as outlined in the NSW Koala Strategy.

Kath Kermode,Executive Officer at Richmond Landcare,emphasized the importance of collective action and collaboration in preserving this iconic species."We want to be part of the solution and work together with landholders to improve koala habitat and help preserve koalas for future generations," Ms Kermode said.

Koalas were listed as endangered in 2022 and are facing serious threats from habitat loss and climate change,making it crucial to signi cantly increase the area and quality of their habitat in order to achieve the goal of doubling their numbers.

Richmond Landcare is

(continued from page 8) seeking landholders who have koalas in residence or visiting their properties to register their interest with Richmond Landcare for future funding opportunities.

“By working together,we can help preserve the koala population in the Lismore and Ballina Shires and improve the quality and extent of their habitat,which will in turn bene t a range of other native ora and fauna in the region,” Ms Kermode said.

“Participating landholders will make a valuable contribution to the preservation of the koala population in the region. By registering their interest, landholders will have the opportunity to receive assistance and support from Richmond Landcare to identify what they need help with to preserve koalas into the future.” numbers will swamp a person or animal,repeatedly stinging them.No gardening in re ant territory! Fire ants currently infest SE Qld,but Northern NSW needs to be on the lookout for their nests.

To register your interest and join the koala habitat restoration projects,please contact Kath at Richmond Landcare on eo@richmondlandcare.org with your name, location,and contact details.

Let's work together to help preserve and increase the koala population in the Lismore and Ballina Shires.

Fire ants have a severe burning sting. ey are aggressive.Large

Rather than destroy insects just because,consider their place in the world and indeed their remarkable physical structure. ey are amazing creatures that are such a vital part of our ecology and deserve our respect.

Flood resistance

Over a year ago now we all awoke one morning in a landscape altered to how we had known it the night before.With such relentlessness the rains came and remained and washed mountains into rivers and calved new paths for ancient creeks.Such an epic moment in time to be witness to.I know I was in shock as I realised the dramatic way in which the landscapes,the creeks,the trees and the plants that I knew had changed.I think many of us were and have remained so over the last year.Some of the scars evident still but for the most part eroded creek banks are regrown with weeds.

When I went to e Channon Gorge after the event,I wondered how bad this really was,was it as bad as it looked? I’ve spent the last 14 months trying to nd answers to this question,here is what I have found so far.

It might not be as bad as it seems.

Let us examine this graph (called an nMDS ordination plot). e points on the plot are labelled according to six survey sites in e Channon Gorge where myself (and Nan Nicholson) have been identifying and counting plants at regular intervals (3,6 and 12 months post ood). e upwards triangles represent before the ood,the inverted triangle represents 3 months after ood,squares are 6 months after ood and diamonds are 12 months after ood. e grey lines with arrows connect each survey site through time. e closer the points are to one another, the more similar they are. e further away they are from one another the less similar they are.We can see the points on the graph are grouped together based on site number.A pattern can be seen where at 3 months after ood the plots become more different to before ood,then at 6 months post ood they become more different again (the squares are further from the triangles then the inverted triangles). en,at 12 months we can see the sites (aside from 4) becoming more that all the species that make up that special community are there persisting because they have ways to cope with intense ood events,making the community overall resistant to ood.

So it might not all be as bad as it has seemed.Despite the apparent drama of the ood our beloved rainforest is recovering,still as ecologically valuable as it once was despite cosmetic changes.A celebratory architectural component in our local landscape in the grips of a changing climate and ampli ed disasters. All hail the holy inspiration, all hail the holy wisdom to be gifted to us from rainforest that has persisted through millions of years in time.

Respect for country,respect for each other similar to how they were before the ood. So we see a trajectory of each site through time to be ‘recovering’,moving toward a pre- ood state- happy days!

Other facts include that 35% of species were able to resprout after being damaged in the ood and 28% of species were able to germinate seed. e density of seedlings has been increasing exponentially and all tests point to the idea

As many would know,the long awaited return of the Open Mic to the Tavern is done and dusted. is happened in February when we nally set up the marquee in it’s once familiar position. ere was a steady lineup of musicians includingTobi, Glenn,Luke Robinson, eTeraniaTree-o and Norm.It was good to once again be at an iconic local venue experiencing a wider audience.

e venue was still good in March but the weather was not and not for the rst time we moved onto theTavern verandah and Glen and Ray opened the show followed by the ever-reliableTobi.

e next act was a couple from Sydney who are part of a 4 piee band called ' irty YearsToo Late'. ey just happened to be passing through and saw the Open Mic sign outside the park. Saadi followed them saying he hadn't played for some time due to an injury.As there was still plenty of daylight remaining Gerry,usually known as a bass player,picked up a 6 string and led a blues jam with Ray (on drums) and Saadi (on bluesharp).

Unfortunately our April Open Mic had to be cancelled due to a foot injury sustained by our convenor,Ray.At this stage we hope to be back for the May Open Mic at 2pm on 28th.So do come along and join in the fun.

e kitchen is now back in operation,so you can grab

Easter on the North Coast is Bluesfest time. is year my partner and I attended our rst one in three years.Covid had gotten in the way and we got out of the habit but this year the line-up was too good to miss.I am so happy we did as we had a lovely time punctuated by some stellar performances and almost perfect weather.Being a veteran of many Bluefests I was ready with 4 pairs of footwear and two different rain jackets. ankfully apart from a pissy little storm on Friday, the sun blessed us with its healing rays.

Bluesfest 2023 was very much underattended. ere was almost no difficulty getting around the place which made it even more relaxed for punters. Unfortunately this gave the festival a reported $1.5 million loss after some already very tough years. ere are probably a number of reasons for this but tightened purse strings in general is probably the best explanation.Regardless I hope the Bluesfest manages to keep going. It is a great,albeit expensive festival that does very much boost our region’s economy and just as importantly boosts our souls with excellent live music both new and established.

We took in around a dozen acts in three days which is admittedly a bit of a leisurely pace compared to other keener festival goers with long tick lists and a faster walking pace.We had our own goals though and watched full sets of many of the acts we saw.One has to commit and get in early to be up front for favourite acts as the older Bluesfest audience has much less tolerance for late pushing in.Tent hopping is a great way to check out many acts but not to experience them intimately. at is unless you are watching an artist with the power and presence to reach to the back of the tent and beyond. at was de nitely the case with a singer called LP who is my best stumble upon nd of any festival,ever.

Apparently I am a little late to the LP bandwagon because many people I gushed to about them are already fans. Suffice to say my mind was blown by their incredible voice and remarkable show skills.LP has two voices in one person.One is a low vibrato Piafesque story teller which as a song progresses expands into this otherworldly soprano/ falsetto that does not seem to have a limit in power or range.LP's videos don't quite impress as much as their charismatic live performance but are still a great entry point in checking out this star on the rise.

Jackson Browne was on our list and didn't disappoint with his very polished and beautiful Americana sound.Beck was anything but polished.He had a bare three piece (acoustic set) ensemble. I am a fan and being on the front rail I enjoyed his playful ramblings,but others found Beck a bit boring.Beth Hart is a true Blues Diva who always brings 100% and leaves nothing in the tank.We very much appreciated her talent and effort. I'm not a fan of Gang of Youths or Counting crows but both acts surprised me with the quality of their shows.Gang of Youths were especially well received by the younger half of the audience.It is the Bluesfest though and my hat goes off to Joe Bonamassa for putting on an incredibly vibrant and entertaining set.Joe's band is at top level and his screamingly perfect sound proves that he is one of the best blues guitarists going.I only regret that Beth Hart didn't get up with Joe as she has in the past but you can't have everything. ere were many great acts and moments to Bluesfest 2023.In all it was a truly enjoyable weekend. e market celebrates Mothers Day in May and we look forward to having the entire family come to take in the markets and what our locals bring to make the market that special place.In May we will host our stage near the playground to help acknowledge and celebrate 50 years on for the Aquarius Festival. e stage will be set with wonderful musicians,magicians and acts that will perform all day and make the entire area alive. e performance arena will compliment e Rainbow Chai Tent.Come down and be part of the live music with surprise guests.

The Channon Craft Market Inc warmly welcomed back e Rainbow Chai Tent in April,after a long time of being absent from the markets. e Jacks and Benny Zable raised the Chai Tent in its new location,adjacent to the creek and the beautiful restoration work of locals and Tuntable Creek Landcare rejuvenating and replanting the riparian area. e space was alive with atmosphere, chai,cake and conversations, bringing the warmth and colour to the market once again. e Rainbow Chai Tent was away for many reasons and everyone was excited on their return.Find them at all future markets alongside the creek,big thanks to the stall owners who moved to make this occur.

April market also saw a new wave of stall owners join us,which created the wholesome market we all love dearly,so much hustle and colour,it was de nitely alive and 1000’s of folks visited the region to soak up the sunshine and the array of ne arts and crafts.

We expect Phillippe Petit, Fantuzzi and Mick Conway, Famous French Circus performer https://www.facebook.com/ the.channon.craft.market/ https://www.instagram. com/the.channon.craft. market/

- Fantuzzi,a 21st century Rainbow global troubadour will also be arriving in Nimbin.As described in his book,Love at First Bite…“Fantuzzi’s music and life de es categorisation. For over 45 years he’s travelled the globe bringing joy,passion, dance and an unending source of vibrant energy to people in venues ranging from huge outdoor concerts to intimate house gatherings.Latin,Afro’beats, Reggae,Salsa…all accompanied by amazing musicians who gather to call Fantuzzi.In every country and venue there are people who have played with, danced with,sang with,loved with and lived with this energy vortex called Fantuzzi; he whirls around the globe spinning magical webs of joy - a constant delight in life and living.”He was an inspiration for many of us in the Northern Rivers Rainbow region.Among them. Paul Joseph,the song-man during the 1973 Nimbin Aquarius festival.

If you're keen to join us as a stall owner please visit our website and apply - thechannonmarket.org.au,if you do not have access to the internet, please give us a call,we will get back to you asap.

We love supporting our cottage industry,it's what makes our market stand out.

Please remember to like and share our social media,invite your mates,your neighbours, your boss,invite the world. However please leave your pets at home!