Ground cover habitats
Lomandra, also called mat rush, 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.
What animals use ground cover 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.
Ground cover plants are used by many animals to provide protection, food and nesting materials.
Many lizards including blue tongue lizards will use ground cover plants such as this blue flax lily,to provide protection.
Blue flax lilies produce berries that provide food for many birds.
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 red browed finches can be seen perching on seeding grass heads such as that of kangaroo grass. When disturbed they will fly into dense undergrowth.
Red browed finches move quickly between ground cover plants looking for seeds.
Habitat digital book
Find out more
Habitat is a 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.