iNaturalist reporting summary shows value of reporting finds
As the mercury drops around the country, our myrtles should finally be enjoying some respite from myrtle rust. If you do see symptoms though - particularly of telltale yellow spores indicating an active infection - put your pictures up. This article, reporting on finds logged on iNaturalist throughout the last 'season,' describes how your records inform land managers, help researchers, and have even attracted media attention:
Over 500 new reports have been made since last November.
While myrtle rust is lying low, now is the time to think about pruning your myrtles so new growth is less likely to be infected. You might also want to think about replacing vulnerable myrtles in your garden, especially non-native plants like lilly pillys. If we can keep infections down in gardens, spore numbers in the environment will reduce, and native plants in the bush will have a reduced chance of infection. For other tips, and answers to questions about myrtle rust you might have, see here:
