The next stage of planting at the Half Mile Recreation Reserve is planned for this Sunday (11 August 2024).
The Haehaeata Natural Heritage Trust welcomes the community to join them in planting out 500 trees and shrubs.
This will include 28 different species from the small 'At risk - Naturally Uncommon' Veronica pimeleoides (a grey hebe with pale lavender flowers) to the mighty kōwhai, Haehaeata trust’s project coordinator Rach Baxter said.
Three species of tree daisy will also be planted, two of which are named under the New Zealand Threat Classification system, along with nine other species. Carmichaelia compacta or Cromwell broom is another one of these plants, with the distinction of growing nowhere else in the world, she said.
“It is great to be planting these on this site as hopefully it will provide a more secure future for these species and for all the animal life that depend on them for their survival too. For example, the tree daisy species are home for up to 28 different species of moth, some of which are specialists and will not survive on any other plant.
“We also believe that pre-human arrival, a lot of these species would be naturally occurring here. Weeping mapou (Myrsine divaricata) while not an at-risk plant, is locally very scarce and will provide an excellent feast for the birds once it starts fruiting.”
The stage 2 work carries on from the stage 1 planting of early June when 5000 tussocks were established on the hillside above the State Highway 8 entranceway to Alexandra from Roxburgh.
Read more: First planting day at Half Mile planned in June - Central Otago District Council (codc.govt.nz).
The upcoming planting day continues the community vision for the Half Mile, to be restored to a natural state, to provide another recreational option for the district. It will be the last planting for the year, with the next likely to be autumn next year, Central Otago District Council Parks and Recreation Manager Gordon Bailey said.
“The Council is pleased to see the public supporting the redevelopment of the Half Mile reserve and value the continuing relationship with Haehaeata trust that is making this a reality.”
The next step for Council would improving the access track to the reserve.
To register interest in joining the planting bee go to: www.haehaeata.org.nz
