Guests are welcome at our activities.

Meetings

We hold evening meetings on the 2nd Friday of each month February to November. Meetings will be face-to-face or by Zoom, depending on the current conditions and the location of our speaker.

NOTE: JUNE MEETING IS FIRST FRIDAY!

Next meeting: at Beatrice Taylor Hall 6th June 2025 7.30pm for 8:00pm.

Shirley McLaran 'Peas'

See detailed notice further down the page.

Group Outings and Activities

Usually held at a weekend, these outings visit  local gardens, reserves or other places of interest or sometimes there may be work to be done!

Next North Shore Group Activity: Saturday June 7th 2025 - Pea Foraging on the Bobbin Head Track

Shirley McLaren will speak to our group at the next monthly meeting in Hornsby on Friday 6^th on the topic of “Peas”. The following day, she will join our Group Activity and continue sharing her expertise, this time in the field. If, like for me, the identification of Peas has always been a bit of a challenge for you, here is your chance to rectify that! In consideration of all the wet weather we have had lately, we have chosen a location that is largely sandy ridgetop, likely to be less slippery,  and which does have a variety of pea plants- the Bobbin Head Track. It’s not sure if we’ll complete the whole 5km track down to Bobbin Head but a car or two will be left there to transport walkers back to their cars at the start for if we do.

The Bobbin Head Track starts at the North Turramurra Ku-ring-gai National Parks gate and follows an old unsealed road for 5 kilometres downhill to finish at Bobbin Head. For the first half, the track is fairly level and passes through interesting open, low forest and includes some Aboriginal rock engravings. It then starts to descend, not too steeply, via some switchbacks and passes through taller different attractive forest. Views of the river are obtained just before the last couple of hundred metres which are a steeper rocky bush track that finishes at water level near the Empire Marina where refreshments can be purchased if desired or at the Bobbin Inn. The walking pace will not be fast due to our Pea Foraging and it could take about 3 hours to get to Bobbin Head, if we make it that far (we probably will).

Meeting Place:  Near the entry to Ku-ring-gai NP at Bobbin Head Rd North Turramurra. Park outside if you do not have a National Parks Pass or just inside if you do. NB we don’t take the Sphinx Track.

Date and Time: Saturday 7th June at 10am.

Bring: Good walking shoes, hat, sunscreen, hand lens, if you have one, plant ID book? Water, snacks, lunch, money for coffee if desired, wet weather gear if needed, walking pole(s) if needed for the rubbly parts of the track.

Contact: Sue Fredrickson paulandsuefreddo@bigpond.com, mobile 0401362921.

NB Please either phone or email before Saturday 7th to book in. Please provide your name, phone number, emergency contact phone number and car rego.

Walks & Talks

Walks and Talks are open to the public. See their own page, here.

Propagation, Plant Sales, The Knoll Garden and Bushcare

The Propagation group meets on alternate Wednesdays, weather permitting. Native plants are available for sale (cash only) and growing advice is provided. This activity is carried out at the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden, St Ives in the white shade house located behind the Wildflower Garden Visitors Centre. See the NSG entries on the calendar on the APS NSW Activities page for propagation, plant sales and advice of dates. Contact Tania Lamble on 0415043671 for details..

Volunteers also maintain the Knoll Garden at the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden, St Ives. Please contact Wendy Grimm on 0419323035  for details.

A Ku-ring-gai Council-run Bushcare group in which members participate is also active in the Garden on non-propagation Wednesdays. Contact KMC (bushcare@krg.nsw.gov.au) for details.

Next Evening Meeting

Next meeting Friday 6th June 2025 7.30pm for 8.00pm at Beatrice Taylor Hall, Hornsby.

Shirley McLaran 'Peas'

Shirley McLaran has been an active APS member for almost 30 years and is the leader of the Australian Pea Flower Study Group. When not out searching for pea flowers, Shirley contributes to the iNaturalist community with observations and identifications. 

Pea flowers are a wonderfully diverse group of plants with over 1100 native species, many of which have yellow petals with red markings earning them the tag ‘egg-and-bacon’ pea flowers. Shirley’s presentation will cover how to recognise pea flowers along with tips on how to differentiate the ‘egg-and-bacon’ pea flowers.

Plants for sale (when meetings are same week as Propagation), library & supper.

ALL Welcome

The Beatrice Taylor Hall is behind Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre at 25 Edgeworth David Avenue, Hornsby. There will be plant sales after the meeting (cash only, please bring change) and refreshments. The NSG Botanical library is also available for members to browse and borrow items.

Zoom meetings can be attended by non-members by contacting Sue Fredrickson to request the Zoom link. Sue can be contacted on paulandsuefreddo@bigpond.com or 0401 362 921.