TWELVE enthusiastic Bitou Buster volunteers rolled up their sleeves on Saturday 27 June to tackle the dreaded Mother of Millions, which has exploded along The Boulevarde on the Winda Woppa bush strip throughout the past two years.
Working along the fence line between the Kururma Crescent and Jacabba Street, volunteers set about clearing the Mother of Millions infestations ranging from tiny seedlings to mature flowering plants.
Bright red flower heads made it easy for the volunteers to spot where the worst outbreaks were.
By the end of the morning, the Bitou Busters had filled 26 bags and one red wheelie bin with uprooted Mother of Millions plants – a remarkable achievement from a combined total of almost 18 hours of volunteer labour.
The day’s work also provided an opportunity to educate the community.
Two couples stopped to chat with the group. While the volunteers were usually thanked for their efforts, this time
they were asked why the volunteers were removing such “pretty flowers”.
It was explained to them that, despite its attractive appearance, Mother of Millions is a highly invasive, toxic weed.
Each plant produces hundreds of tiny plantlets that quickly establish new colonies, forming dense infestations that smother native vegetation, prevent natural regeneration, and degrade dune ecosystems.
The plant is also highly poisonous to pets and native wildlife, with ingestion potentially causing heart failure.
Despite the bleak grey skies and chilly winter temperatures, the Bitou Busters stayed warm through hard work.
There was plenty of laughter and lots of friendly conversation as participants gathered for a group photo and, of course, well-earned hot coffees at Benchmark afterwards.
The volunteers are hoping to organise a couple of “commando” working bees during the coming weeks to tidy up a few additional sites.
They will return to The Boulevarde next month to continue the battle against Mother of Millions.
Trish, the Bitou Busters coordinator, said a sincere thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and energy.
“Your efforts are helping to protect our beautiful coastal bushland for future generations,” she said.
You can help your local paper.
Make a small once-off, or (if you can) a regular donation.
We are an independent family owned business and our newspapers are free to collect and our news stories are free online.
Help support us into the future.
