Published in the Riverine Herald on AUGUST 19, 2017
LOCAL gardeners are being asked to bring their green thumbs to the Campaspe Esplanade tomorrow to help eradicate the blankets of bridal creeper weeds smothering native plants and threatening animal habitats.
The event will take place from 10am to 12pm and will be a continuation of the Echuca-Moama Landcare Group’s ongoing war against the noxious weed, which has so far managed to thwart their efforts.
“We’ve tried nearly everything,” EMLG’s chairman Peter Williams said.
“We’ve tried pulling it out, but it has tubers in the ground that are hard to eradicate,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve tried a virus that only works on the bridal creeper, with very limited success.
‘‘We’ve even tried a beetle that eats the plant, but nothing was effective.”
The exasperated Mr Williams said they were “reluctantly” turning to chemical sprays as a last resort against the hardy plant.
“The Landcare group is very organic in nature.
‘‘We would rather a biological control mechanism, but from time to time you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” he said.
Mr Williams is asking volunteers to come down to pull the weeds down from the trees so that sprayers can directly spray the roots in the coming weeks.
“All you need to bring is a bit of enthusiasm, and it’ll be fun,” he said.
“We’re always looking for more volunteers in Landcare.”
The bridal creeper, which was brought from South Africa for wedding bouquets, is now considered one of the worst pests in Australia and threatens farmers in the Murray River irrigation area.
Eliminating the creeper will allow native vegetation to regrow, encouraging squirrel gliders and native birds to live in the area again.
“The Campaspe River walking/cycling path is extensively used by locals and visitors alike, and it will be great to restore native vegetation and wildlife to this precinct by removing this weed of national significance,” Mr Williams said.
If you are interested in volunteering, you can email rosalinz@hotmail.com or call Peter Williams on 0427 083 286.