An urban infestation of old man's beard a noxious plant now rampant throughout Wairarapa is alarming a Masterton resident who has tracked its spread.
Frank O'Cain has identified a dozen sites along the northeastern riverbank of the Waipoua River where large infestations of the plant are now
seeding.
Mr O'Cain said he has also heard of infestations at the nearby Henley Lake area and sightings have also been made further west along the Waipoua riverbank where it bounds Oxford Street.
The wind disperses the seeds of old man's beard, which give the plant its name, during autumn and winter.
Mr O'Cain said he has several times since last year reported to Masterton District Council the dozen sites of infestations dotting the riverbank between the Colombo Road bridge and the Queen Elizabeth Park swing-bridge.
He said he has marked the spots with white paint where he has found old man's beard, which is in a council reserve area maintained by the Masterton authority.
"I've been watching those sites for the past 12 months through the plants' regrowths, flowering and now seeding and they're still there. It's noxious and as I understand it, the council is obliged to eliminate those plants once identified.
"Apparently they have it on a list and are moving 'down to it' but so far nothing at all has been done."
Richard Grimmett, Greater Wellington Regional Council Masterton office senior biosecurity officer, said the regional council eliminates the plant when it threatens "key native ecosystems" and when a landowner complains about infestations on neighbouring properties. Infestations on private land are the responsibility of the owner, he said.
He said the areas of infestation discovered by Mr O'Cain are the responsibility of the Masterton District Council according to their workload and priorities.
Grant Hathaway, Masterton District Council parks and recreation manager, said he knew of infestations of the plant that were eliminated from a site at the rear of the Wairarapa Hospital but he was unaware of any nearby sites including the spots discovered by Mr O'Cain along the Waipoua riverbank.
