Everyone says to plant trees. Part of our city council promotes biodiversity. But the people in charge of street trees cut down mature native trees that provide food for beautiful Australian birds. They plant exotic trees that won’t bother the overhead lines or maybe disrupt the sidewalk.

I can walk down one street and hear native birds in the trees and then on another street there is silence in the exotic non-native trees. There aren’t any native deciduous trees in Melbourne yet in the fall many non-native trees lose their leaves. The colors may be pretty, but they don’t feed native animals.

A gum tree around the corner from me was poisoned.

It is illegal to poison a tree, but who knows who did it? The city nicely cut it down. Now the house doesn’t have to worry about leaves in its pool or shade on its solar panels.

A photo down The Boulevard – no native trees.

The city planted this straggly little thing that will not grow tall and say they are putting in a canopy.

Where ever you live, encourage your city to plant native trees and plants to encourage the natural habitat of your area.