Species
Trees, plants, fungi, ecosystems, biodiversity, and species identification.
Species Cheatsheet
Quick-reference guide to key species, ecosystems, and biodiversity principles.
Go Deeper
Detailed guides and in-depth articles on species.
Alder: The Nitrogen-Fixing Wet-Site Pioneer
How alder partners with Frankia bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen, stabilise stream banks, and transform degraded wet soils into fertile ground for the species that follow.
November 10, 2025
Chestnut: The Tree That Fed Civilisations
How chestnuts served as a carbohydrate staple for millennia, why the American chestnut nearly vanished, and how chestnut trees fit into modern food forest design.
November 10, 2025
Decomposers: The Hidden Recyclers
How fungi, bacteria, beetles, woodlice, and a host of other organisms break down dead matter and return locked-up nutrients to the living world — and why supporting them is essential.
November 10, 2025
Earthworms: Nature's Tillers
Why Darwin called earthworms the most important creature on earth — how they aerate soil, cycle nutrients, improve water infiltration, and serve as the definitive indicator of soil health.
November 10, 2025
Eucalyptus: Controversial Giant, Essential Keystone
Why eucalyptus is not one tree but over 700 species — an irreplaceable keystone in Australian ecosystems but a source of ecological damage when planted as monocultures elsewhere.
November 10, 2025
Fig Species: Tropical Keystones That Feed Everything
Why the 750-plus species of Ficus are considered the most important genus of trees in tropical ecosystems — fruiting year-round, supporting more wildlife than almost any other plant.
November 10, 2025
Fruit Tree Guilds: Self-Fertilising Systems
How to design complementary plantings around fruit trees — combining nitrogen fixers, dynamic accumulators, ground covers, and pest confusers into self-sustaining productive systems.
November 10, 2025
Hoverflies: Pollinator and Pest Controller in One
How hoverflies deliver both pollination and aphid control in a single insect family — and why flat-topped flowers like umbellifers are the key to attracting them.
November 10, 2025
Indicator Species: Reading Ecosystem Health at a Glance
How lichens, amphibians, dragonflies, earthworms, and other indicator organisms reveal the condition of air, water, and soil — practical monitoring for restoration and land management.
November 10, 2025
Native Bees: 20,000 Species Beyond the Honeybee
Why the world's 20,000 wild bee species — mostly solitary, mostly overlooked — are more important pollinators than honeybees for many crops and ecosystems, and what they need to survive.
November 10, 2025
Native Over Exotic: Why Local Species Matter
Why native plants support local food webs in ways that exotic species cannot, how genetic provenance shapes restoration outcomes, and when the native-exotic distinction gets complicated.
November 10, 2025
Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria: Free Fertiliser in Every Root
How Rhizobium, Frankia, and free-living bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into plant food — the microbial engine behind every productive ecosystem and restoration project.
November 10, 2025
Paulownia: The Fastest Growing Hardwood on Earth
How Paulownia trees combine extraordinary growth rates with genuine hardwood timber quality, making them a powerful tool for degraded land restoration — and why responsible planting matters.
November 10, 2025
Birds as Seed Dispersers: Recruitment Services for Free
How fruit-eating birds carry seeds kilometres from the parent tree, drive forest regeneration, and connect fragmented habitats — and how planting fruiting species recruits them to your site.
November 10, 2025
Silver Birch: Light Canopy, Deep Roots
How silver birch colonises bare ground, connects with over a hundred fungal species, and nurses slower-growing trees to maturity — the mycorrhizal pioneer of temperate forests.
November 10, 2025
Walnut: High-Value Timber and Food
How walnut trees combine premium timber with nutritious nuts — and how to design around juglone allelopathy to build productive walnut guilds.
November 10, 2025
Willow: The Pioneer That Grows from a Stick
How willows root from bare cuttings, stabilise riverbanks, coppice endlessly, and serve as living infrastructure — the most versatile pioneer tree in temperate landscapes.
November 10, 2025
The Soil Food Web: Life Beneath Your Feet
The invisible ecosystem in healthy soil — bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and arthropods that cycle nutrients, build structure, and make plant growth possible.
October 26, 2025
Baobab: The Tree of Life
The ancient baobab stores thousands of litres of water, produces superfood fruit, supports entire ecosystems, and can live for millennia — a keystone of African landscapes.
October 20, 2025
Mangroves: Coastal Guardians
How mangrove forests protect coastlines, sequester carbon, nurture marine life, and why restoring them is one of the most impactful things we can do.
September 10, 2025
Native Oaks: Backbone of Temperate Forests
Why native oaks support more biodiversity than almost any other tree genus, and how to grow them for restoration and food production.
September 5, 2025
Moringa Oleifera: The Miracle Tree
Everything you need to know about growing and using Moringa oleifera — the fast-growing tropical tree with edible leaves, water purification properties, and remarkable resilience.
September 1, 2025