General News
19 June, 2026
Barry's Corner: Seed germination
From seeds sailing across paddocks to flowers emerging in unexpected places, Barry Clugston OAM says the bush is constantly changing — even if its movement is too slow for us to see.
Flowering plants are starting to show their wares in the bush and gardens and it is not uncommon to see reds, yellows and lots of white scattered around in various orderly chaos.
Plants that rely on seeds emerge in all sorts of interesting sites because the seeds are released from the parent tree, and are blown whichever the direction of the wind at that time.
To see the seed of the scotch thistle sailing energetically across the paddocks shows the distance the seeds can travel.
Heavier seeds never go as far as the introduced thistles.
It is easy to imagine why the whole country is not covered by a single species of bush or tree.
If a tree seed drops and there is no wind then the seed does not go too far.
If the time takes one or two thousand years it is almost beyond our ability to understand the process.
The bush is dynamic and moves slowly to watch.
Another influence is the frequency of fires and that impact also slows the spread.
Some seeds spit the seed a few meters and where it lands a distance away it will sit until conditions allow it to germinate.
We humans have had a huge influence on seed movement and we now find tropical plants growing in the southern districts and vice versa.
There is no reason it will not survive but sometimes they grow too well and in time they can get out of hand and develop to become pest problem that means conditions are too good for that plant and it needs to be managed back to secure statis.
There is no chance of going back to the original vegetation we have to live as we have made it.
However, other species relies on the original vegetation and their survival depends on the ability to switch to another food source or to change to another color so they will not stand out to the predators.
Often some species has had to change food type and as the vegetation has been shrinking by clearing so has the species.
Generally, the species forced to make changes is worse off and if they cannot move to another patch of bush and if that does not work out death will surely follow.
The conditions cannot be quickly adjusted and the seeds will not move faster it should be a lesson to us all.