Snap off an arum lily to boost our bush – that’s the message from Nature Conservation Margaret River Region when it comes to problem invasive weeds known as arum lilies. And the team from Cape to Cape Explorer Tours are helping to lead the charge against weeds and care for the Cape to Cape Track.
Arum Lily Blitz protecting the Cape to Cape Track
Nature Conservation’s Arum Lily Blitz is now in full swing as over 1600 landholders across the Capes Region join a suite of Friends groups, businesses and government agencies controlling arums across an area that now exceeds 20,000 hectares. That includes along the Cape to Cape Track. But it’s not just rural landholders who can help stop the march of arum lilies. The conservation group wants everyone from hikers in the bush and surfers at the beach to residents on their morning walk to snap off an arum flowers. That will stop the seeds developing.
Snap an arum to slow down these invasive weeds
“Everyone can help out. And that includes snapping off the flowering stem of the arum lily plant wherever you see one on your walks,” says Nature Conservation’s Biodiversity Officer Mike Griffiths. He coordinates the Arum Lily Blitz. “That will stop it going to seed. And help to slow the spread of these invasive weeds. You could be hiking the Cape to Cape Track. Or heading to the beach for a surf. Or just walking your dog around town. Wherever you see an arum lily, snap off or pull out the flower to do your bit for the bush.”
Our guides and hikers stopping invasive weeds
Already on board with the ‘snap an arum’ initiative is local ecotourism business Cape to Cape Explorer Tours. It runs weekly guided hiking tours on the Cape to Cape Track. Its guides and hikers have been busy removing flowering arum lilies they encounter over seven days of hiking from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin. And spreading the word about the Arum Lily Blitz.
“The Track meanders along such a stunning coastline. And through the most awe-inspiring wildflowers. Orchids. Forest. And coastal heath. It’s all packed with birdlife, reptiles and other fauna,” says Cape to Cape Explorer Tours founder Gene Hardy. “Arum lilies pose a very real threat to that. So we’re happy to do what we can to help the cause and spread the word.”
Arum Lily Bitz hitting back with region-wide fightback
Arum lilies are an introduced species from South Africa and are one of the major threats to biodiversity in our region. They outcompete wildflowers, degrade forests, and choke out understorey vegetation and crucial wildlife habitat with it. But the Arum Lily Blitz has been hitting back with a coordinated region-wide attack on arums!