Now the pesky moth plant is in the sights of a group of environmentally conscious Far North students who are encouraging others to help eradicate the plant with a competition that has cash prizes.
The senior students from Kerikeri High School’s Sustain All Valuable Environment (SAVE) club will be running the moth plant competition funded by Northland Regional Council.
SAVE is an environmental club dedicated to creating a positive future for all. It has teamed up with the NRC to provide a moth plant competition for all secondary schools in Northland to help eliminate moth plants from our ecosystem.
The Northland Moth Plant Competition has a $500 prize for first place, and all who take part will become a kaitiaki of our environment.
“Show your commitment to conservation by participating in this initiative to eradicate invasive moth plants from our surroundings. Together, let’s make a difference and preserve the biodiversity of our ecosystem. Get involved today and be a part of the solution,” the SAVE students said.
“Get your team / community group / school involved.”
First prize is $500, with $250 for second place and $100 for third.
Participants need to collect as many of the moth plant pods as possible, send photos of pods collected (lined up is best) and give a written tally and information about the location they were collected from. It’s a good idea to have people in the shots too, if possible.
Moth plant pods are poisonous but sometimes mistaken for chokos.
The number of pods, small vines and the identity of the people must be easily verifiable from the photo. The photos must be submitted before Friday, July 18.
People will also need to take some precautions when collecting the pods, given their toxicity and gloves are recommended when handling moth plants.
Moth plants are an invasive fast-growing vine that climbs up other trees smothering native trees. The plants have shield-shaped leaves and produce thick, leathery, pear-shaped, choko-like pods. These pods contain 250-1000 seeds. The pod explodes and hundreds of seeds are released everywhere. They are carried long distances by the wind. Not only do these invasive weeds destroy our precious ecosystem, but they also contain poisonous white sap that can cause skin irritations.
These weeds climb up native trees, smothering them and weighing them down eventually killing the tree/shrub. It also blocks light for other plants to grow. Wildlife is hugely affected like butterflies, moths, bees and other insects as they can get stuck in the sticky flowers. Moth plants can spread extremely quickly, taking over large areas and forests.
How to remove moth plants
When you remove the plants pull out the vine from the ground or if it is a particularly large plant that cannot be yanked out, trace the stem back to the base and cut it. Apply a weed killer to the cut surface. The vines can be disposed of in your home compost. Make sure you collect the pods for the Northland Moth Plant Competition (do not forget to take a photo). Do not put the pods in your home compost as it does not get hot enough to kill the seeds and moth plants will start growing in your garden. Instead, place the pods in rubbish bag, make sure you double bag it then put it in landfill. Remember moth plants are dangerous and have poisonous seeds and sap that can cause skin irritation. Please make sure you wear gloves and long sleeves when removing the plants.
Moth plants are found almost everywhere and are very common in the Northland region. They can be found in forests, parks, roadsides – basically anywhere other trees, shrubs, or vegetation grow as they smother other plants.
