Dedicated members of the Lachlan Valley Branch of the NSW National Parks Association (NPA) have been busy compiling information and photos for a new book - ‘Plants of the Parkes Forbes Area Wiradjuri Country’ - which will have an official launch later this month.

This book has been published by the Lachlan Valley Branch of the NPA and edited by longtime member Liz MacRaild with photography by Graeme MacRaild.

This follows the publication of ‘The Flora and Fauna of the Parkes Shire’ in 1987 by the Parkes Naturalist Group, which has been used by many people for close to four decades to help identify native plant and animal species found in our area.

The Parkes Naturalist Group became the Lachlan Valley Branch of the NPA, and several current members involved in the 1987 publication, along with other current members, have revised that material using detailed colour photographs, updating names where changes have occurred, and adding additional species not recorded in the original.

Documenting our local flora is more than an act of cataloguing plants, it’s a way of safeguarding the ecological identity of our region.

When a community records its native species, it creates a reference that helps people understand how plants in their environment work.

This kind of knowledge strengthens conservation efforts because it gives land managers, volunteers, and everyday residents a clear picture of what exists, what might do well on our farms or in our urban gardens, and what might need protection.

While allowing people to recognise and value the plants that define the Parkes and Forbes landscape, this book will also help track environmental change. When species decline, shift their range, or disappear locally, a documented baseline will help make those changes visible.

In a time of rapid climate pressure, having an accurate record of local flora is a simple and powerful tool for understanding how our land is changing and how we can care for it.

Filled with beautiful photographs of our local flora species and accompanied by Wiradjuri plant names where known, this book will be a welcome addition to any local nature lovers’ bookshelf.

The official launch of ‘Plants of the Parkes Forbes Area Wiradjuri Country’ will take place at 10.30am on Thursday 23 July in the Ngumbaaydyil Room at the Parkes Library.

Registrations essential via Humanitix by searching 'Plants of the Parkes Forbes Area.'

For more information on the Lachlan Valley Branch of the NPA of NSW, visit https://npansw.org.au/what-we-do/our-branches/lachlan-valley/