Wheel Cactus community field day: 2 May 2021

Posted on 28 April, 2021 by Ivan

We love the work and achievements of our local Cactus Warriors over the past decade. They have managed to combine best practice management with community engagement and fun, to help rid many hillsides of the invasive Wheel Cactus.

Their next community field day on Sunday 2 May 2021 will be alongside the Cairn Curran Reservoir in Barringhup, VIC. The field day is a great chance to meet new people, learn how to manage Wheel Cactus and prevent the further spread of these invasive plants. Please read on for details from the Tarrangower Cactus Control Group (TCCG), aka the Cactus Warriors.

What is Wheel Cactus?

Opuntia robusta: A plant native to Mexico, this cactus is most commonly called Wheel Cactus in Australia, and believed to be introduced into our country as a ‘hardy’ garden plant.

This cactus species has a distinct blue/green colour and large, flat, round pads with many short and long spines. The plant is erect and can grow to 3 metres tall. It has yellow flowers and dark red fruit in spring/summer, each containing approximately 500 seeds which are spread by animals and water.

This weed has become widely established in central Victoria, western New South Wales and south-eastern and eastern South Australia. It particularly likes to grow on granite outcrops, but also infests woodlands and pastures.

Community Field Day

The ‘Cactus Warriors’ had fun participating in the 2021 Maldon Easter Fair parade. But now the ‘fun of the fair’ is over and it’s time to continue their war against this noxious weed. The TCCG invites all interested folk to join us at our first community field day for 2021.

This year’s field day season will be launched on Sunday 2May 2021 at a property beside Cairn Curran Reservoir, at the far end of Cairn Curran Road. Directions will be signposted along Cairn Curran Road from the turnoff at Barringhup Road. The morning’s activities will begin at 10:30 am and end at 12:30 pm with an enjoyable BBQ and friendly chat.

If you have any queries, please contact us via our website at www.cactuswarriors.org