Gardeners across Australia are reporting curious visitors as suburban plots shift from thirsty lawns to tangled, native thickets and hedges.
One resident shared a startlingly sweet encounter on r/NoLawns after months of planting for habitat. Buried in a mulch pile beside the path, a mound of glossy spines twitched. It was an echidna, a shy monotreme that normally keeps to quiet bushland, now lodging happily in a front garden.
A spiky houseguest in the suburbs
The homeowner said their partner had glimpsed the creature weeks earlier, but the sighting felt too unlikely to trust. The new photo left no doubt. A spiny oval sat half-sunk in leaf litter and bark, the distinctive quills rising like a bristled hedge. Neighbours online cooed over the image. One commenter called the visitor “utterly adorable” and asked for more updates. Another cheered the garden makeover that lured such a wary native into a suburban setting.
Australia’s short-beaked echidna is one of only two egg-laying mammals alive today, the other being the platypus. By day, echidnas often shelter in brush piles, under roots, or in shallow scrapes. At dusk, they shuffle out to probe the soil for ants and termites. Their powerful claws and tubular snout make quick work of compacted ground, while their quills deter most predators.
Echidnas are monotremes. They lay eggs, carry a puggle in a pouch, and prefer dense ground cover, leaf litter, and quiet corners.
Why native planting invites rare neighbours
The homeowner’s delight underscores a wider shift: gardens designed for local species tend to fill with life. Native shrubs, groundcovers, and grasses offer nectar, seeds, shelter, and insect prey tuned to Australia’s seasons. Once these elements take root, birds arrive, pollinators work the flowers, skinks patrol the warm stones, and, occasionally, an echidna digs in.
Replacing a uniform lawn with layered planting brings practical gains as well. Deep-rooted natives reduce irrigation demands and help soil hold moisture after rain. Plant litter shades the ground, slows evaporation, and boosts invertebrate diversity. That food web supports everything up the chain—from honeyeaters to nocturnal foragers.
Swap a water-hungry lawn for native layers—small trees, shrubs, grasses—and you create food, shelter, and safe passage in under a season.
From water bills to biodiversity gains
People who convert even a strip—say, a verge or a five‑metre bed—often report lower water use within the first summer. Maintenance changes too. Mowing shifts to seasonal pruning and light mulching. The big payoff comes at dusk, when the garden hums. Bats skim for insects. Moths spiral around grevillea. If you are lucky, a spiky digger snuffles for ants beneath the lomandra.
What to do if an echidna visits your garden
Echidnas are protected native animals across Australia. They do not need feeding and should not be picked up or moved unless injured. Dogs, cats, and netting pose the main risks. With small tweaks, a suburban plot can be safe and welcoming.
Practical steps to keep wildlife safe
Keep dogs on lead at dawn and dusk; supervise off‑lead time when an echidna is active.
Provide a shallow, stable water dish with a rock for grip; change water every two days.
Leave a few low gaps under fences so wildlife can travel without getting trapped.
Use wildlife‑friendly netting (mesh holes smaller than a finger) or avoid netting entirely.
Skip pesticides and slug pellets; encourage natural controls with habitat and hand removal.
Retain logs, branches, and leaf litter to form cool daytime shelters and foraging spots.
If you see an animal in distress, contact a licensed wildlife carer; do not attempt a rescue yourself.
The gardener’s toolkit: plants and layout that work
Structure matters more than any single species. Aim for layered cover and nectar through the year. In many regions, hardy choices include banksia and grevillea for flowers, lomandra and dianella for tussock shelter, and acacia for dense screening and insect life. Keep a sunny patch open for basking lizards. Stack mulch 5–7 cm deep around, not against, woody stems. A meandering path lets you observe without trampling nests or burrows.
How a small change adds up
Measure
Typical lawn
Native garden
Weekly watering in summer (litres per m²)
12–20
2–6
Maintenance time per month
3–5 hours mowing/edging
1–3 hours pruning/mulching
Wildlife sightings in a season
Few common birds
Multiple pollinators, lizards, and occasional mammals
Figures are indicative and vary by climate, soil, and plant selection.
Inside the echidna’s routine
Echidnas travel surprising distances for their size. They follow scent trails, squeeze beneath fences, and nose through soft ground for ant colonies. When alarmed, they do not flee. They wedge against a log or dig down, anchoring with formidable claws while raising quills. That behaviour makes handling both stressful and unnecessary. If you give them space, they resume foraging within minutes.
Breeding typically occurs in the cooler months. A female lays a single leathery egg, then carries a tiny puggle in a pouch for several weeks before moving it to a nursery burrow. Quiet corners of a garden can provide that shelter. A steady food supply matters more than handouts. Ants, termites, and other invertebrates found in chemical‑free soils deliver everything an echidna needs.
Readers’ questions answered
Should I feed an echidna?
No. Human food can harm them. Focus on habitat: healthy soils, no poisons, and reliable water.
What about my pets?
Supervise dogs, especially terriers. Most echidnas avoid conflict but can be injured before they curl into a ball or bury themselves. Cats should stay indoors overnight.
Can they damage irrigation or lawns?
They may lift turf while digging for ants. The fix is simple: reduce lawn area, increase groundcover, and shift irrigation from frequent sprays to deeper, less frequent soaks.
Why this story matters beyond one front garden
The post that thrilled r/NoLawns showed just how fast suburban gardens can change their fortunes. Within a season or two of planting natives, a yard becomes a corridor that stitches streets to reserves. Multiply that by ten homes on a block and wildlife has a safe, shaded pathway across an entire suburb.
If you live outside Australia, the principle still holds. In Britain, hedgehogs need small fence gaps and chemical‑free borders. In New Zealand, native shrubs and safe water points help birds through dry spells. The palette shifts by country, but the pattern repeats: layered cover, year‑round nectar, clean water, and patience.
Start with one bed, five native species, and a water dish. In twelve weeks you will see insects return. Bigger visitors follow.
Next steps for beginners
Sketch a small pilot area, two by three metres. Pick local species suited to your soil. Plant densely to shade the ground within a year. Set up a rain gauge and note watering needs across a season. Keep a simple log of wildlife sightings. Data helps you refine planting and proves the payoff when you share your own photos—quills and all.
For renters, try container natives on balconies: prostrate grevillea, small banksia, and saltbush varieties handle pots well. Add a saucer of water with pebbles for pollinators. Even this modest setup can draw insects and birds, and it travels with you when you move.
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