One of the toughest ecological hazards in Auckland has a sworn enemy, but he has his work cut out for him. Rebecca Blithe reports.
Beware of "the menace". It may lurk in your garden, with its thick tendrils slithering across the fence from your neighbour's yard, and its spawn ready to multiply.
But not if Clive Salmon, 72, has anything to do with it. Often spotted among the local shrubbery battling sap-spurting pods and slashing down fat vines, he is Manurewa's lone crusader against the moth plant.
"I'm a one-man band. I hate and detest this horrible plant menace," says Mr Salmon.
"You've got to rip it out at the roots. The big pods can produce up to 1000 seeds and it only takes one to find a nice little niche to grow. Then that one seed can produce 300 pods."
Auckland Regional Council biosecurity manager Jack Craw says the plant is Auckland's worst weed. It can grow longer than 6m and its seeds can be windblown over 30km.
"It becomes the dominant weed in urban situations and is a problem in most areas in the Auckland region."
Also known as "Uncle Clive", Mr Salmon began his moth-plant mission seven years ago when he noticed something ravaging his neighbour's backyard.
"I thought, what the heck's all this blinking nonsense? When I notified council they said, 'Would you be so kind as to become a volunteer?'."
After working for 48 years, Mr Salmon had envisaged a restful retirement. But he is often out working well past nightfall. In his determination to wipe out the moth plant he's demolished 42,000 of the choko-like pods.
"There're things I want to do here in the home I've been in for 20 years, but what am I out doing? I'm out chasing moth plants. Sometimes, I'm out until eight at night."
Mr Salmon's experienced eyes can spot the pesky moth plants and he has cleared numerous private and commercial properties - for no reward.
"People ask me how much I charge. I tell them I'm a volunteer for the ARC.
"I'm on nobody's payroll. I do it out of the graciousness of my heart."
He says he can count on one hand the number of times people have expressed gratitude for his work.
"After spending hours and hours at a site, sometimes I leave laughing to myself. You can't help but see that nobody gives a stuff. There's no public apathy, they don't give a rat's arse."
Auckland Regional Council has worked with Weedbusters, Manukau City Council, Auckland City Council, Waitakere City Council, North Shore City Council and Rodney District Council, to educate Aucklanders about the moth plant, and how to get rid of it.
Mr Craw says "eco-warriors" like Mr Salmon are crucial players in the fight against weeds like the moth plant.
"The ARC is always keen to offer assistance to people like Clive. We applaud Clive's dedication."
Mam-moth task
Make sure you wear gloves, long sleeves and protective eyewear.
The weed's sap irritates skin and can splash back. It's vital to rip the plant out by its roots or it will keep growing. Auckland Regional Council advises digging up and pulling out all seedlings.
Uncle Clive tries not to use sprays but some herbicides which Auckland Regional Council advises are effective: Dicamba, Tordon or Vigilant gel. If using Vigilant gel, paint around 20cm of the plant's stem below the cut as well.
To dispose of the plant, bury all pods deep in the ground.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Latest from Aucklander
What have we learned from the Auckland floods?
OPINION: There have been changes to warn city residents to get to higher ground.