Cities are the perfect place for us to conserve biodiversity and rekindle our relationship with nature – Dr Kylie Soanes, Urban Ecologist and Conservation Biologist at University of Melbourne
These words resonated at the Southbank Sustainability Group (SSG) community gardening efforts. It was a thrilling start to autumn, and the flurry of action and activities throughout March was truly invigorating.
The Community Gardening volunteers were excited in participating in first Insect BioBlitz 2026. This program was conducted by Urban Forest & Ecology team of City of Melbourne between March 1 and 7.
BioBlitz is a citizen science, data collection event, where experts and members of the community work together to document as many species as possible within a specific location and time period. BioBlitz allowed residents a glimpse of recording variety of insects in urban environment.
Melbourne Square collaborated with the City of Melbourne and the SSG to organise a guided walk led by Dr Ian Smith, Insect Expert, to Southbank’s local community gardens at Boyd and Melbourne Square. More than 30 people participated in this event. Participants learned tips on encouraging pollinators and beneficial insects in our gardens.
A summary of citizen’s observations captured during the Insect BioBlitz can be found here. During the BioBlitz – 780 insect observations were made all over City of Melbourne (about 35 observations from Southbank community gardens), engaging more than 80 observers.
So far, 246 insect species have been observed and identified across the city. Common observations include the Chequered Cuckoo Bee (Thyreus caeruleopunctatus), Lesser Grass Blue (Zinia otis), Wingless Grasshopper (Phaulacridium vittatum), Eucalyptus Tip-wilter Bug (Amorbus atomarius), Honeybrown Beetle (Ecnolagria grandis) and introduced European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) – these species have been included in the newly published Insects of Melbourne (melbourne.vic.gov.au/citizen-science-and-nature-education) guide, which is a collaborative initiative between City of Melbourne, Fed Square and Heartscapes.
The City of Melbourne – Parks and Greening team is still looking through the large data set captured during BioBlitz 2026, along with experts in the field to help identify and verify some observations. We at Southbank community gardens appreciate the help received through the Parks and Greening team in hosting this event at Southbank.
The sustainability efforts practiced by Southbank Community Garden volunteers is aligned to EARTH DAY 2026 theme – “Our Power, Our Planet”.
On March 5, City of Melbourne gifted around 60 plants – herbs, vegetables and flowers to Southbank. SSG Volunteers came in early morning hours to lovingly rehouse these plants in the community garden beds. In the past weeks we have harvested chillies, herbs, eggplants and cucumbers from our garden. Growing edible herbs is our volunteer favorite and at our last working bee a new volunteer, Akila, spoke about varieties of mint and its use in culinary and herbal medicines across different cultures.
About the group
SSG is a community group of Southbank residents dedicated to bringing positive change in sustainability practices.
Email us at [email protected], visit our Facebook page, or follow us on Instagram at @southbanksustainabilitygroup.
If you’re interested in learning more, join us for our next catch-up on April 11, Saturday, at 10am at the Boyd Community Hub, City Rd.
Our upcoming FREE event is on Plant Propagation. Join Corrinne at Boyd on April 11, at 10am, as she demonstrates the art of caring for and growing indoor plants.
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