Burnside’s a’Buzz
by Linda Crutchett
The Burnside’s a’Buzz Project was initiated in 2019 by graduates of the Burnside Living Smart program. With grant funding from City of Burnside and support from Sustainable Communities SA we sought to create a buzz, strengthening local community interest in the impacts of climate change and preserving natural habitat in the urban environment.
Our initial plan was to host two public events and install a native bee hotel alongside one of the biodiversity sites in the City of Burnside to raise awareness of these important native pollinators.
Our first event went off without a hitch. Twenty nine people came to a presentation by Dr Remko Leijs on native bees. Feedback was positive and our community was interested. Since then we have received images of native bees and other pollinators in Burnside. The Chapel Street Community Garden in Magill installed a native bee hotel and we had another thirteen people interested in joining our future activities.
Blue banded bee, Chapel Street Community
Garden (photo G Howe 2021)
Sadly, due to the 2020 COVID-19 shut down, our project stalled. Progress continued slowly and we now have a beautiful jarrah native bee hotel awaiting installation once the final permissions are gained.
This project has now come to an end and, while we hope to link back with our beloved bees, many of our team have other projects blossoming.
I would like to thank the Burnside’s a’Buzz team who supported the project, the City of Burnside and Sustainable Communities SA. We are all part of a community who cares about our future and are willing to act.
The following books were purchased with grant funds and donated to the Burnside Library:
- Attracting butterflies to your garden – Butterfly Conservation SA
- Focus on flora – Kersbrook Landcare Group
- South Australian native bees
- A guide to native bees in Australia –
