The great daisy hunt is on

Local residents are being asked to help track down native daisies across North East Victoria as part of an effort to save one of the state's rarest insects. The Key's Matchstick Grasshopper was thought to have disappeared from Victoria before being rediscovered near Omeo in 2019. Since then, conservationists have been working to better understand and protect the endangered species. Zoos Victoria invertebrate conservation coordinator Jessie Sinclair said the grasshopper depended heavily on several native daisy species found in remnant grasslands. "We have spent years travelling through North East Victoria looking for these grasshoppers, and we're finding them in remnant kangaroo grass grasslands," Ms Sinclair said. "They're not actually feeding on those grasses, but rather on the herbs that are in the inter-tussock spaces. "Many of the grasslands we find have the structure of really good grasshopper habitat, but the daisies are missing." Zoos Victoria and the Euroa Arboretum are now seeking fresh seed from common, clustered and scaly button everlastings (Chrysocephalum semipapposum, C. apiculatum, and Leptorhynchos squamatus) to help restore habitat and support future reintroductions. Euroa Arboretum's Brontë Haines coordinates grassland groundcover restoration and said access to seed from healthy wild populations was vital. "Daisy seed can lose viability after just 18 months," Ms Haines said. "For our seed production areas to provide strong, vigorous stock for grassland restoration projects, we need to continually introduce diverse genetics from wild daisy populations." The flightless grasshoppers move only a few metres during their lifetime and have less than 10 known populations across Victoria, surviving in isolated pockets of native grassland as small as 0.15 hectares, which makes them at risk of fragmentation and local extinction. Last year, 100 Key's Matchstick Grasshoppers were relocated from a remnant population near Tolmie to a grassland restoration site at the Arboretum, in a trial aimed at strengthening the species' long-term survival. Residents who spot suitable daisy populations are encouraged to upload photographs and location details to the iNaturalist app or contact Zoos Victoria at contact@zoo.org.au

The great daisy hunt is on

Wangaratta Chronicle, Wednesday, 9 September, 2026

Staffing review in Catholic schools

Court gives “final chance” to serial order breacher

Linking generations through theatre project

Most popular stories

Wangaratta Chronicle, Wednesday, 9 September, 2026

Staffing review in Catholic schools

Court gives “final chance” to serial order breacher

Linking generations through theatre project