Ecology at Quatre Saisons
Quatre Saisons has an amazing natural biodiversity; there is a lot here that is hard to find any longer in the Yass Valley, or the wider Canberra region outside of the major National Parks. Ungrazed and organic by neglect, we have retained the majority of the natural forest vegetation and native grasslands of the NSW South Western Slopes, and have vegetation typical of a natural box gum grassland community. A unique microclimate provides examples of alpine herbfields and native grasslands uncommon in areas outside the Kosciusko rangelands.
It is in some of the quietest, most secret places on Quatre Saisons, tucked away in the dark, hushed parts of our forest, where platypus and echidna choose to raise their young. You can read more about our monotremes here. Maybe you will be lucky enough to encounter them one day too.
Following the devastating Canberra region bush fires of 2003 Quatre Saisons was selected as a host site for seed collecting run through the Seeds for Survival program. Quatre Saisons seedlings have been grown on to revegetate Namadgie National Park and many Canberra community properties through this program, which is a partnership between Environment ACT, Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG), CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra Urban Parks and Places and Greening Australia Capital Region.
We host education field days for Greening Australia and provide a learning environment for university and school students. You are welcome to contact us to arrange a seed collection visit, school camp or field trip.