Nursery stuns with before-and-after photos after removing hazardous plants: 'Great work team'

A New Zealand plant nursery just completed a big job getting rid of invasive plants and wanted to share the results.

KiwiCan Natives went ham removing moth plants, tobacco trees, pampas, and gorse from a work site in order to support a local species. They managed to take out about 35 cubic feet of moth plants in their clean-up. KiwiCan specializes in growing native plants in its nursery and successfully planting them around northern New Zealand. 

Invasive species are a real threat that can wreak havoc on local ecosystems. They're typically introduced to new areas by human transportation. Once they take root in a new area, they're unfettered by the checks and balances they evolved with. This can lead to situations where invasive species can wildly outcompete native species for space and resources. 

As the invasive species asserts dominance, native species and those that depend on them start to retreat, and biodiversity declines. This kind of phenomenon works out to hundreds of billions of dollars in economic damage annually. 

The moth plants (Araujia sericifera) that KiwiCan Natives was focusing on are native to South America. As the name implies, it relies generally on moths for pollination, but part of its flower structure often traps and kills moths while they're trying to feed. This has earned it the names of "cruel plant" and "cruel vine."  It can be toxic to people as well, causing rashes. 

Considering the moth plants can spread seeds up to 18 miles by air travel and those seeds can last up to five years, it makes sense that these are a major target for removal. Other invasive species, like feral cats, have proven to be a more socially prickly subject in New Zealand. 

KiwiCan seems to be getting plenty of local praise for its hard work. 

"Wow you guys really care about your environment," said one commenter. "Great work team I love it."

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