Bee scene
West Perth
WALN has started work on the Bee Scene West Perth project. The aim of this project is to create urban habitat for native bees by installing native planter boxes with bee hotels. We will also be using street art and sculpture to educate people about the critical role native bees play in biodiversity conservation. A future stage of the project will be the linking of QR codes to the website to provide further information about each installation.
The first part of the trail is a blue banded bee sculpture, native bee attracting plants, a bee hotel and mural on the corner of Hay and Outram Street in West Perth. West Perth already has native bees visiting its existing gardens. This new native bee habitat will help boost their numbers and provide habitat for many native creatures. The trail will also help activate the West Perth streets and provide a free family activity. A Native Bee Flyer which outlines the best plants for our Perth native bees is also available from Boobook Bar.
Native bee hotels have also been installed along Mayfair Street and at Atlas Food and Cafe on Hay Street.
Samson Primary Pollinator Garden
Samson
WALN has installed a native pollinator garden at Samson Primary School. The original garden was overgrown and full of weeds but has now been weeded and planted with local native flowers that bees and butterflies love. Part of the garden transformation has included installing a bee hotel, logs, rocks and mulch to create habitat. Native bees have been seen using the bee hotel and pollinating the flowers. We look forward to seeing the garden thrive.
Pollinator Place
Piney Lakes
WALN has received funding through a Community Grant in 2024 from the City of Melville to create the “Pollinator Place” at Piney Lakes as part of a larger pollinator trail that is being developed at the Centre.
The first stage involved planting everlasting and swan river daisy seeds. Five logs have been installed, two of them native bee hotels, each with a unique tile depicting an important Western Australian pollinator species. The logs also have a QR code that can be scanned to find out more information about each species.
Visit the Piney Lakes Environmental Education Centre to learn more about our important pollinators and take home a colouring in sheet. Find out more at The Pollinator Place – City of Melville.
Butterfly Laneway - Samson
Samson
WALN received a community grant from the City of Fremantle to plant up the south side of the laneway between Marshall Way and Ives Close in Samson, with butterfly host and nectar plants to attract native butterflies to the area. The laneway is in close proximity to the Sir Frederick Samson Park, which is a bush forever site.
The plants were installed on the 25 May 2025 at a community event, supported by local residents, Friends of Samson, City of Fremantle and WALN. Plants and seeds that were planted on the day are below.
COMMON NAME | SCIENTIFIC NAME |
SEEDS | |
Slender podolepis | Podolepis gracilis |
Blue lace flower | Trachymene coerulea |
Western Australian waitzias | Waitzia suaveolens subsp suaveolens |
GRASS | |
Wallaby grass | Rytidosperma caespitosa |
Knotted Club Rush | Ficinia nodosa |
Weeping grass | Microlaena stipoides |
Coast spear-grass | Austrostipa flavescens |
Feather spear-grass | Austrostipa elegantissima |
CREEPERS | |
Native Wisteria | Hardenbergia comptoniana |
Scarlet runner | Kennedia prostrata |
GROUND COVER | |
Waldju | Jacksonia sericea |
SMALL SHRUBS | |
Glow wattle | Acacia lasiocarpa |
Green Carpet | Grevillea crithmifolia |
Rice Flower | Pimelea ferruginea |
Hairy flame pea | gompholobium tomentosum |
Bush Flame pea | Chorizema varium |
Marno pea | Daviesia divaricata |
Purple flag | patersonia occidentalis |
LARGE SHRUB | |
Green stinkwood | Jacksonia sternbergiana |
As well as attracting native butterflies, the laneway has two bee hotels installed either end to provide nesting habitat for native bees. These bee hotels have a QR code which link to this page. As part of the project, we have created a colouring in sheet featuring some of the plants that have been planted and butterflies found in Perth. You can download a copy here Free Downloads & Helpful Resources – WA ♡ Nature
The laneway was subject to stormwater runoff in winter which has now been minimised by the planting of native plants and the addition of limestone rocks and logs. These features not only prevent erosion, they also provide shelter for butterflies. To read an article in the Fremantle Herald about the project, please click on this link: Butterfly highway | Fremantle Herald Interactive
Local residents are assisting by:
- Weeding
- Watering during the summer months
- Recording any butterflies seen using A Community for Naturalists · iNaturalist
- Using their plant subsidies to plant butterfly host and nectar plants in their gardens and verges.
If you would like to know how to attract butterflies to your garden, please read our butterfly blog: How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden – WA ♡ Nature.
If you see any damage or issues, please let us know through the “Contact Us” tab below.
City of Perth Pocket Parks
Hardy Road and Victoria Square
WALN has contributed 11 bee hotels of various sizes to the City of Perth’s Victoria Square Pocket Park in Perth city and Hardy Road Pocket Park in Nedlands.
The Victoria Square Pocket Park, located in the heart of the city, surrounding St Mary’s Cathedral have been revitalised with native plantings, seating, and swings, creating a welcoming retreat for visitors and habitat for urban biodiversity. Members of WA Loves Nature also supported a community planting day alongside students from Mercedes College and City of Perth staff, helping to establish and enhance the space. The two large handcrafted bee hotels feature artistic designs of the wildflowers that native bees love, including daisies, Geraldton wax, banksia, and eucalyptus flowers. Each hotel incorporates a variety of hole sizes to accommodate a diverse range of native bee species. Their roofs, coloured to complement the green of Mercedes College, provide additional protection for nesting bees. Together, these elements contribute to a vibrant, educational, and ecologically valuable green space that supports pollinators while enriching the urban environment. For more information, please visit the Victoria Square Pocket Parks | City of Perth webpage.
The Hardy Road Pocket Park in Nedlands, provides a quiet resting place for visitors to the area and features 9 custom made bee hotels of various sizes with yellow rooves. To find out more, please visit the Hardy Road Pocket Park | City of Perth webpage.
