Go touch grass! All about the native grasses in Glenthorne National Park

If you’re chronically online, at some stage you’ve probably been encouraged to ‘go touch grass’, which is just another way of saying it’s important sometimes to pack the devices away, go outside and connect with nature. And if it’s grass you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place!

Many of our parks, including Glenthorne National Park-Ityamaiitpinna Yarta, just a short drive from the city at O’Halloran Hill, are home to lots of different species of native grasses, and now is a good time to see them as they are currently in flower and preparing to set their seed.

Glenthorne is also leading the way in the restoration of native grasslands, but more on that later. First, what are native grasses and why do they matter?

Native grasslands in SA

Native grasslands were once widespread across much of the Adelaide plains and the foothills, but since European settlement much of these grasslands have disappeared from our landscape.

A key native grassland habitat of the Adelaide plains was Open Greybox grassy woodland, a now nationally-threatened ecological community, providing important habitat for many native species like the endangered Diamond firetail.

Habitat helpers

Open grassy woodlands are a hive of activity, prov iding critical habitat for a diverse range of birdlife, reptiles and invertebrates. Keep an eye out for some less common species, such as the Australasian Pipit, Red-browed Finches, Stubble Quail and the cryptic sun-moth.

What grasses can I see at Glenthorne?

Kangaroo Grass – Themeda triandra: 

As you first enter the park, the main road may look a bit bushy – but it’s meant to look this way! This species was aptly named as the native kangaroos enjoy eating it, particularly because it grows during summer when other understory plants are dormant.

Common Wallaby Grass – Rytidosperma caespitosum 

As you make your way to the NaturePlay Playground area, the roads are lined with another type of grass, wallaby grass. Common wallaby grass is one of around 14 species found in South Australia. 

Elegant Spear Grass – Austrostipa elegantissima

One of around 30 species of spear grass, this grass is less common in Glenthorne, but once it establishes, it’s elegant grass head will be a sight to see! Check out Shepherds Hill Recreation Park for wonderful displays of this grass along the Seaview loop.

Sowing the seeds for future restoration

This time of year, many of Glenthorne’s native grasses are flowering and setting seed, so it’s important for Park Rangers to let these native grasses grow tall and let the seed fall. Some of this seed may be collected by Rangers and used on restoration projects across the park.

However, due to Glenthorne’s agricultural past, there are still lots of weeds threatening the grassland restoration. Park rangers, Friends of Glenthorne and Volunteer Rangers spend much of their time in Spring controlling weeds across the park, focussing on areas that need protecting first. If you see a ranger, a friend or a volunteer working in the park, they may be able to show you which grasses are native and which are introduced.

Glenthorne restoration project

Glenthorne also has an innovative Community Grassland Project, led by the Friends of Glenthorne and supported and delivered by PhD candidate Max McQuillan with partners including Green Adelaide, the University of Adelaide, Seeding Natives and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The Grassland Project employs innovative landscape design to recreate 5 hectares of endangered Grey Box derived Grasslands. To find out more, visit Glenthorne Grassland Project.