Green and Golden Bell Frogs have a peculiar habit of appearing in unlikely areas and disturbed habitats, from landfill and brick pits to golf courses. Once an extremely common species across all of Sydney, the Green and Golden Bell Frog now has only about 40 populations left, suffering an ongoing decline and shrinking of their distribution since the 1970’s. Loss of ideal habitat, and pressures from predators including native waterbirds, introduced Mosquito Fish and feral cats, are thought to be contributing factors behind their occupancy of degraded and unlikely habitats. This presents an urgent need for the creation and restoration of high quality, predator free habitat for the species.

Dragonfly Environmental have been working with the Sydney Olympic Park Authority to manage existing ponds to bring back much needed habitat for the Green and Golden Bell Frog. Kronos Hill is a wildlife corridor extending for 1.5km atop an area of remediated landfill adjacent to Haslam’s Creek. Currently there is a range of restoration projects being undertaken at the site, including reestablishment of mid-storey shrubs and thinning of trees to restore habitat for small forest birds, and the retention of log piles and dead wood habitat for reptiles and insects. The site’s ponds, which have existed for some time, were suffering from sedimentation whilst lacking appropriate shelter to protect struggling local Green and Gold Bell Frogs from predators.

Dragonfly Environmental started by draining existing water from the site’s ponds, to eradicate the introduced Mosquito Fish, which decimate Green and Golden Bell Frog tadpoles, and which have been the primary hindrance to local breeding populations. Our team then removed thick accumulated sediment, making way for the installation of impermeable pond liners, facilitating improved water retention and conforming to their preference for habitat disturbance. Frog-friendly netting was then installed above the ponds to reduce predator access to breeding frogs and tadpoles. Due to the species apparent preference for ephemeral ponds and fluctuating water levels, the ponds are currently being filled naturally with rainwater and runoff over time to entice the species to disperse to the site.

Whilst there is a long way to go towards the full recovery of the Green and Golden Bell Frog, our project aimed to create a breeding haven, free from the pressures of predators and degraded habitat. Our efforts will hopefully result in unhindered breeding and facilitate increased dispersal of the species to other potential habitat sites in the locality. We are looking forward to sharing progress updates as the ponds mature on our Facebook Page.

This Reserve is in a wonderful spot with magnificent views of the high sea cliffs in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. As part of Waverley Council’s Biodiversity Action Plan, they are progressively installing buffer plantings to connect and protect bushland remnants in the Waverley local government area, and we were lucky enough to get one of the contracts!

Our experienced and legendary Site Supervisor, Darrel Davies oversaw the preparation of the site and installation of over 1000 plants (pictured below). Species were selected to represent the original vegetation that would have existed in this area – cliff coastal heath. This includes species such as heath myrtle (Baeckea imbricata), coastal rosemary (Westringia fruticosa), honey myrtle Melaleuca armillaris). These plantings will buffer the remnant cliff heath on-site and create additional habitat for native birds that frequent the area.

Due to the very exposed nature of the site, we installed tree guards for majority of the plants, especially trees and shrubs, to protect them from dogs and foot traffic.

We also installed a sediment fence and removed some of the weeds adjacent to the planted area to prevent any weeds from encroaching in. Have a look at the photos below to see the process of the project. We can’t wait to see what it looks like in ten years!

Dragonfly Environmental are responsible for the suppression of noxious and environmental weeds at 15 sites around the Hornsby Local Government Area.

We recently completed an epic job at St. Gregory’s College, Campbelltown for the TRN Group. As part of their Stormwater Harvesting Scheme designed by E2DESIGNLAB, we were engaged to supply, install and maintain a diverse array of almost 50,000 aquatic and riparian species within and surrounding the ponds.

We are specialists in the ecological restoration of wetlands, riparian zones and saltmarshes, so we were really excited at this opportunity. Our experienced Site Supervisor, James Dalby-Ball headed up this project and the results have been amazing, as you can see in the before and after photos below!

This was a tough project, with works scheduled during the peak of Summer just past, but our crew got this project done within the time frame and budget and the plants are looking pretty happy too. Rick Blake, one of our Natural Area Specialists captured a time lapse video of one of our days out there planting. Make sure you check it out here!

Dragonfly Environmental was contracted by the Hills Shire Council to revitalise Turkeys Nest Recreation Park in Beaumont Hills. Works involved breaking up the prevailing urban development whilst providing a natural space and wetland area to help residents relax and unwind.

Our team carried out the planting aspect of the lake upgrade to the reserve with works being focused within three primary zones.

• Canopy and understorey species were planted along the terrestrial banks to restore appropriate shading to the reserve and to aid in bank stability and erosion control.
• Juncus grasses and Carex sedges were planted to establish a wet edge interface.
• Emergent aquatic macrophytes were planted to restore the condition of the water body back to a natural state.

Dragonfly Environmental’s scope for the project was as follows:

• Supply and plant tube stock in the terrestrial, wet edge and aquatic zones
• Supply jute mat for erosion control and seedling establishment

On completion we made recommendations in order to prevent further erosion, weed establishment, and care for the newly planted tube stock. Dragonfly will continue to send out one of our Natural Area Specialists to carry out maintenance works while the tube stock establishes. Post-work monitoring and maintenance is essential in the success of any form of bush regeneration works.