Volunteer | October 2009 |
The Irrepressible Mr Ken SamsonOur thanks to the East and Bays Courier edition dated 9 October 2009 for permission to reprint their article.
Moth pods drive Ken Samson mad. So mad that he spends hours collecting them in the precious native plantings on the island of Motutapu. Mr Samson has a love-hate relationship with the choko-like pods.He gets quite irritated when he spots one even when out and about in Mission Bay where he lives. He cannot bear to leave a single moth pod to burst and have the wind spread its hundreds of seeds far and wide.As a long-time volunteer for the Motutapu Restoration Trust on Motutapu Island, Mr Samson can spot a moth pod or its vine from miles away - such is his addiction to ridding the island of this weed. Reaching up to six metres high, moth plant, araujia sericifera, is a vigorous exotic vine with a pretty white flower.It has the ability to compete with, smother and replace mature native trees.It is a problem in urban gardens, parks and other public areas where it can become the dominant species. Its milky white sap irritates the skin and the pods can be harmful if eaten.
It grows readily once the large pear-shaped pods split, revealing a mass of fluffy seeds that disperse in the wind.A native of Brazil and Argentina, it was brought to New Zealand in the 1880s as an ornamental plant and for its supposed ability to trap codling moths in its flowers.It proved ineffective but in the meantime it spread far and wide including on to Motutapu where it grew to plague proportions.
Moth plant is found in most neighbourhoods in Auckland.
Fortunately, some of the serious infestations on Motutapu are slowly becoming a thing of the past thanks to the determination of Mr Samson and a band of dedicated volunteers who work year round eradicating the weed. Mr Samson has successfully filled dozens and dozens of onion sacks with around 60 pods each - effectively stopping a whole generation of thousands of new moth plants from germinating in the rapidly growing native forest.
In spite of all the work of Mr Samson's team there is still more weed control to be done before the Motutapu forest can be rid of moth plant.Volunteers are urgently needed over the spring and summer to deal with any surviving plants before they flower and there is another crop of pods.
The Motutapu Restoration Trust holds a public volunteer day every first, third and fifth Sunday of the month all year.For more information contact Bridget on 524-5072, Belinda 522-0919 or email
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Well done Ken ! |
