Trip Report – 21 June 2014 :   Te Marua Bush workbee

Since the early 1990s BotSoc has been advocating for Te Marua Bush (TMB), Upper Hutt, to be enlarged, to improve its sustainability.   A brief description of the plight of this Key Native Ecosystem which I gave at BotSoc’s 16 June evening meeting, and fine weather on the day, may have helped to produce a better workbee turn-out than usual.   At the site, GWRC ranger Steve Edwards guided us to a roped-off section which, when fenced and planted, will extend TMB considerably to the northeast, by including what is at present, part of the contiguous pony paddock.   On the day, we concentrated on weeding, especially Hoheria populnea, (a non-Wellington lacebark species which took hold in TMB several years before it became noticed), masses of broom and blackberry invading from the pony paddock, and the usual assortment of weeds and rubbish which had blown in, or been thrown in, from the SH2 / Kaitoke Hill Road side.   As usual, the worst weed areas were the TMB margins, which will need some hard work again at our November workbee.   We look forward to planting the new extension in autumn.

Participants :   Trudi Bruhlmann, Barbara Clark, Steve Edwards, Ian Goodwin, Rodney Lewington, Sue Millar, Barbara Mitcalfe (scribe), Syd Moore, Hugh & Lea Robertson, Allan, Glennis (trip leader) & Graeme Sheppard, Darea Sherratt.

Trip Report – 15 November 2014 :   Te Marua Bush workbee

Glennis Sheppard inspects the 25 x 27 x 29 m area to be planted adjoining the existing bush.   Photo: Allan Sheppard.

Nine people attended this weeding workbee on an extremely wet morning.   Priority for first-comers was to check the main (original) Bush, which was generally weed-free, except for two small patches of tradescantia, so we concentrated on the southern extension, where the most recent plantings needed releasing from rank grasses.   Next, we moved to the east side, near the solitary kahikatea, which is usually a rubbishy area, and always infested with montbretia.   This kahikatea, a female, produces a prodigious amount of seed, despite (or because of) serious damage in the snowstorm of 2011.   Its seedlings make a welcome addition to F&B’s nursery, for planting in local forest remnants We note that tawa seedlings are more common now in TMB – some almost a metre tall.   Despite a droughty period earlier in Spring, tiny black maire and totara seedlings were also plentiful, and generally the Bush looked in good condition.   We did not work in the northern extension, because of the adverse conditions, and left earlier than usual, after thankfully emptying our thermoses.   This week, Kim Broad, our GWRC contact for TMB, has asked us to list the species which we intend to plant on our Autumn workbee.   This information is needed for the purpose of K.N.E. (Key Native Ecosystem) record-keeping

Participants :   Trudi Bruhlmann, Barbara Clark, Chris Horne, Barbara Mitcalfe, Sue Millar (co-leader), Grant Roberts, Glennis, Allan & Graeme Sheppard (co-leaders and scribes).