TRIP REPORT : Te Marua Bush workbees

 Saturday 2 February 2002 :   Te Marua Bush workbee

This summer there was a strangling invasion of convolvulus in our newly planted area.   Our team worked extremely hard pulling out convolvulus, and chopping blackberry, broom and fennel, to release the plants planted last winter.   Last spring our contractor sprayed tradescantia, old man’s beard, nasturtium and other weeds.   The surface foliage of the tradescantia had died and has needed a second application in a few areas.   This was done during our workbee.   He was very informative about techniques for killing weeds such as sycamore and old man’s beard.   The forest floor looks denuded with the tradescantia nearly eliminated, but native seedlings are already beginning to appear. /p>

Most exciting was to find a silvereye’s nest with nestlings in a koromiko, one of the recent plantings!   This is what replenishing the bush is all about.

Participants: Barbara Clark, Helen Druce, Chris Horne, Darryl Kee, Cath Mathews, Sue Millar (co-leader), Barbara Mitcalfe, Alan Sheppard, Glennis Sheppard (co-leader), Julia Stace.

Sue Millar, Glennis Sheppard, co-leaders.

 Saturday 8 June 2002

It was in brilliant sunshine and light winds that we assembled to continue the restoration of this valuable area of remnant bush.   With an accompanying tui also enjoying the late autumn morning we began planting, and with all hands working flat out, the 84 plants were planted quickly.   We then cleared out some piles of rubbish and release previous plantings.   This rubbish was deposited over the fence to be collected by the WRC ranger.   After a mid-morning cuppa we went to the other end to look at the bush and wander back, clearing out small pockets of weeds trying to establish themselves.   It was good to see how previous plantings are now to a stage where the ground is shaded out, reducing the chances of weeds germinating, and a good number of native seedlings establishing themselves.

Participants: Bev Abbott, Stan Butcher, Barbara Clark, Penny Currier, Helen Druce, Bart Hogan, Dave Holey, Darryl Kee (leader), Janet McCallum, Sue Millar (deputy leader), Allan Sheppard, Glennis Sheppard (deputy leader), Julia White. Apologies: Chris Horne and Barbara Mitcalfe.

Darryl Kee

 Saturday 19 October 2002

Perfect weather and the success of the recent Tradescantia control by BotSoccer Darryl Kee of “Weedworks” helped make this workbee especially enjoyable.   The tarata were at their best, as they were all around Wellington in October, laden with flowers and delicately perfumed.   The sound of bees in the canopy was a good omen for a plentiful crop of seeds, and black maire fruit were thick on the ground in places.

Our first task was to plant several Clematis paniculata and C. foetida, grown by Upper Hutt Forest and Bird.   Glennis and Allan Sheppherd had brought old carpet squares to put round the plants to control weeds, and we anchored them well with large boulders.

Then, following Ian Atkinson’s suggestion, we formed a “shoulder-to- shoulder” line at the stock cars fence line and did four sweeps across the reserve looking for remaining Tradescantia and reminding ourselves of what it used to be like, with thick carpets of Tradescantia all the way.   This time, eight of us working from 9.30 am to 1 pm, only just filled a rubbish bag.   Later we removed young montbretia plants which were easy weeding in softer ground.

At the sunny northern end, we inspected the Ileostylus micranthus in flower.   Its host, Melicope simplex, was smothered in small, fragrant blooms, a contrast to the ones in the shade which had either no flowers or very few.   We heard no tui but quail were calling from time to time as we sat under our favourite matai for scroggin, noting that the colony of bag moths on its trunk was just as numerous as usual.

The sapling kahikatea planted out in 2000 looks unlikely to survive.   The only kahikatea seedling found in the Bush, it was then only 25 mm high, carefully potted up and planted out at about 20 cm high in 2000.   The long drought must have affected its chances of survival – now brown, it has no new leaves but is still very firmly rooted, so perhaps there is hope.   Its assumed parent, the female kahikatea near the south end of the reserve, needs to be relieved of the 2 x 2 m concrete slab (probably an old shed foundation) at its base.   Until it was discovered during a workbee last year we often wondered why there were no kahikatea seedlings.   Perhaps a friendly Transit digger might be persuaded to take it away when operating on the SH2 realignment in the vicinity next year.

The only additions to the species list were unfortunately all weeds:   Himalayan honeysuckle, Leycesteria formosa; hemlock, Conium maculatum, and elderberry, Sambucus nigra.

At the next work bee, much needs to be done – the plants put in over the last three years at the south end are deep in rank grass and need releasing.   The narrow track between the pony club fence and the Bush needs to be kept clear of rank grass because it is hiding large clumps of Tradescantia just beginning to reinvade the reserve.   Seedlings and saplings of sycamore, wild plum, hawthorne, Mediterranean laurel and wild cherry are still appearing here and there.   We need to be vigilant for these and for the lianes ivy and Japanese honeysuckle.

In the Regional Council Te Marua Development Plans, mention is made of the intention to erect a local-stone wall round Te Marua Bush.

Participants: Stan Butcher, Helen Druce, Dave Holey, Barbara Mitcalfe, (Leader), Sunita Singh, Allan and Glennis Shepperd, Julia White.

Barbara Mitcalfe