Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre

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Emailfieldofmar-e.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Ground cover habitats

Ground cover habitats

A lomandra plant with long green leaves and yellow flower spikes.
Image: Lomandra provides shelter and protection for many small animals including lizards, snakes, and smaller mammals.

What are ground covers?

Ground covers, including herbs, are usually short plants with flexible stems growing from the base. Examples include lilies, mat rush, vines, orchids and native grasses such as kangaroo grass. Ground covers help hold the soil together. 

Ground cover as habitat

Ground covers provide shelter and nesting materials for invertebrates, small mammals, ground feeding birds, reptiles and frogs. They also produce seeds that provide food for many small birds. 

Long grasses growing on the ground.
Image: Ground cover plants are used by many animals to provide protection and food.
Blue tongue lizard on the ground using the shelter of long grassy plants.
Image: Many lizards including blue tongue lizards will use ground cover plants to provide protection.
Grassy plant with round fleshy purple berries growing on stems.
Image: Blue flax lily produces berries that provide food for many birds.
Flannel flowers growing on the ground.
Image: After bushfires flannel flowers grow quickly to cover the ground with important habitat. They produce seeds that provide food for seed eating birds and invertebrates.

Red browed finches

Red browed finches live in flocks of 10 to 20 birds. They feed on seeds found on ground cover plants. Sometimes they can be seen perching on seeding grass heads such as that of kangaroo grass. When disturbed they will fly into dense undergrowth.

Small bird with a short triangle-shaped beak and red markings.
Image: Red browed finches move quickly between ground cover plants looking for seeds.

habitat book
Image: Habitat digital book

Find out more

Habitat is a special digital book that investigates the needs of living things through detailed text, interactive activities, videos and stunning images.

Explore the value of habitats such as trees, shrubs and ground cover plants and non-living habitats such as leaf litter, rocks, logs and water.

Find out how to create and restore habitats that will help animals survive and thrive.

This book supports Australian Curriculum biological sciences and living world.

Download free from Apple Books.

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