A conservation group in the Lindis Pass has been awarded thousands of dollars to help eradicate Russell lupins – an exotic weed revered by visitors that is destroying our native habitat.

The dazzling display of pink and purple flowers that blankets much of the otherwise golden brown of inland Canterbury draws flocks of locals and tourists, eager to capture them on camera in the summer months.

It’s this very culture that the Lindis Pass Conservation Group (LPCG) is desperate to end before the colourful but destructive exotic weed does irreparable damage to our native landscape.

“We need to stop celebrating lupins as a revered plant,” LPCG chair Anne Steven said.

“Lupins are widely associated with the high country, but we don’t want them in the high country. There’s a lot to celebrate in our native plants and we certainly don’t need to celebrate introduced lupins.”

Local plight receives backing of water zone committee