The death of the largest Lantana camara we've seen .... ever!
With over 20 years experience of close daily contact with what Mother Nature is capable of, surprises are often the norm, but this one took awhile to fathom.
Pictured at right is the trunk of a very large Lantana camara (flower and leaf photo here) which straddles two mature Casuarina cunnignhamiana at our property here in the Hastings Valley. While the Lantana is not killing the River Oaks, it is hindering their long term health and providing a huge seed source for areas downstream.
Being landholders with property boardering a signifcant water course, we expected to allocate time/funds to noxious and environmental weed removal, and each week we spend an hour or so removing the weeds, working from areas of good bush into the infested areas. The area provides space for reflection, being with nature, observing the resident wildlife, and of course swimming, so removing the exotics is most desirable. The river bank contains the usual suspects - lantana, privet, wild tobacco, cassia, honeysuckle and the odd willow.
My training through TAFE's Natural Area Restoration course (formerly Bush Regeneration - details here) and experience with Bolwarra Bushland Services and ESD Land Management is certainly being utilised to the fullest, and using the cut and paint method works wonders on the Lantana. The regeneration of the native seedlings is virtually instantaneous, and great encouragement to do more.
Listed as a Weed of National Significance, Lantana now covers over 4 milion hectares of pasture and bushland, and is encroaching at an alarming rate. Further details on it's threat and removal can be found here (Weeds of National Significance site). For those readers on the NSW North Coast, an information packed resource is the NSW North Coast Weed Advisory Committee, whose website can be found here. Lastly your local Landcare office will also be able to provide lots of useful information - national website here.
Now all we have to do is wait for the material to die and fall, providing a great resource as mulch for the River Oaks, and encouragement for the Sandpaper Figs, Lemon scented Tea-trees and Water Gums to germinate.
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