Latest news with #Nannup
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Locals tout 'tricky' balance as invasive weed behind 'amazing phenomenon' in Aussie town
It appears spring has arrived early in the town of Nannup in Western Australia, as thousands of orange Monarch butterflies flock to flowering trees and plants. But while their arrival has thrilled locals and tourists, there is thought to be a rather sinister driving force behind their very noticeable presence this year. The swarms of butterflies have been attracted to the area due to the increasing spread of invasive weeds. Butterfly larvae feed on narrow-leaf cotton bush and milkweed, both of which are thriving near Nannup. The butterflies arrived in the town about two months ago, with locals saying they've never seen anything like it. 'It's been amazing, it's an amazing phenomenon,' Heather Walford, from Nannup Lavender Farm, told Yahoo News. 'We always get butterflies but not en masse.' She said the butterflies were 'good for business', as tourists venture out to the town in the state's South West region to admire the insects. Can't have butterflies without noxious weeds Nannup was built alongside the Blackwood River and is surrounded by pine plantations – both of which are conducive to the growth of invasive weeds. Cotton bush and milkweed are toxic to humans and animals, and outcompete native plants. The town recently held their annual Flower and Garden Festival, and while the butterflies are attracted to the 20,000 tulips decorating the streets, they cannot lay their eggs in them. Horticulturist Colin Barlow said the invasive plants are an important part of their lifecycle, and without the weeds there would be no monarch butterflies. 'It's a bit of a symbiotic relationship, but without these plants the monarch butterfly can't survive,' Colin told Yahoo News. Adult butterflies can survive on the nectar of other plants, but caterpillars will only eat milkweeds and cotton bush, he added. "It's getting that balance to control them to make sure it doesn't become more of a problem in cultivated areas and gardens. It's really educating the public landowners to keep it clear, to weed them out before it goes to seed." Colin was a featured guest at the festival, and said the butterflies made a spectacular sight – but noted it may not occur on such a large scale again. 'Everybody loves butterflies because it's such a fleeting existence… and just to see swarms of them. It's just very, very unusual,' he said. 'It's an introduced insect, and it needs to survive on declared weeds, so it's a tricky sort of ecological and environmental balance you've got to get between the weed and the species. But we've got to enjoy this because we may not see it again." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Concerning reason behind 'amazing phenomenon' in Aussie town: 'May not see it again'
It appears spring has arrived early in the town of Nannup in Western Australia, as thousands of orange Monarch butterflies flock to flowering trees and plants. But while their arrival has thrilled locals and tourists, there is thought to be a rather sinister driving force behind their very noticeable presence this year. The swarms of butterflies have been attracted to the area due to the increasing spread of invasive weeds. Butterfly larvae feed on narrow-leaf cotton bush and milkweed, both of which are thriving near Nannup. The butterflies arrived in the town about two months ago, with locals saying they've never seen anything like it. 'It's been amazing, it's an amazing phenomenon,' Heather Walford, from Nannup Lavender Farm, told Yahoo News. 'We always get butterflies but not en masse.' She said the butterflies were 'good for business', as tourists venture out to the town in the state's South West region to admire the insects. Can't have butterflies without noxious weeds Nannup was built alongside the Blackwood River and is surrounded by pine plantations – both of which are conducive to the growth of invasive weeds. Cotton bush and milkweed are toxic to humans and animals, and outcompete native plants. The town recently held their annual Flower and Garden Festival, and while the butterflies are attracted to the 20,000 tulips decorating the streets, they cannot lay their eggs in them. Horticulturist Colin Barlow said the invasive plants are an important part of their lifecycle, and without the weeds there would be no monarch butterflies. 'It's a bit of a symbiotic relationship, but without these plants the monarch butterfly can't survive,' Colin told Yahoo News. Adult butterflies can survive on the nectar of other plants, but caterpillars will only eat milkweeds and cotton bush, he added. "It's getting that balance to control them to make sure it doesn't become more of a problem in cultivated areas and gardens. It's really educating the public landowners to keep it clear, to weed them out before it goes to seed." Colin was a featured guest at the festival, and said the butterflies made a spectacular sight – but noted it may not occur on such a large scale again. 'Everybody loves butterflies because it's such a fleeting existence… and just to see swarms of them. It's just very, very unusual,' he said. 'It's an introduced insect, and it needs to survive on declared weeds, so it's a tricky sort of ecological and environmental balance you've got to get between the weed and the species. But we've got to enjoy this because we may not see it again." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
ABC News
02-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Family still searching for answers over Chantelle and Leela McDougall's disappearances
The father of a woman who has been missing, along with her daughter, for 18 years has recounted the "emotional roller-coaster" of not knowing what happened to them, as a campaign is launched to raise awareness about missing persons cases. Chantelle McDougall was 27 years old when she and her six-year-old daughter Leela disappeared in July 2007. The pair had left their home in Nannup with her partner — Leela's father and cult leader Simon Kadwell — together with their lodger Tony Popic. One of Australia's most baffling missing persons cases, the disappearance in regional Western Australia garnered national attention and was the subject of a coronial inquest in 2017. But ultimately, the inquest could not determine whether the group of four was alive or dead. Chantelle's father Jim McDougall is still appealing for anyone with information relating to the "heartbreaking" case to come forward. "It doesn't matter how small it is, it could just help us find them," Mr McDougall said, speaking to the ABC from his home in Wodonga, Victoria. "It's been an emotional roller-coaster of trying to find out things … the trouble is it doesn't get any better. "It seems to get harder as time goes on not knowing where your family is. "My wife and I, my son and my other daughter, it affects my grandchildren — everyone is affected." Mr McDougall still remembers the last time he spoke to his daughter. "It was 18 years ago, she rang one lunch time and we spoke for a long time," he said. "They said they were going to emigrate to Brazil and that was the last time we ever spoke to them." Police haven't been able to establish their departure from Australia in the years since. He described Chantelle as a "really happy sort of girl" and Leela as a "real bubbly granddaughter". Mr McDougall said he missed them greatly and just wanted them home. There are hundreds of family members like Mr McDougall who don't know what happened to their loved ones. A month-long TV and social media campaign being launched today hopes to find answers for the families of 364 long-term missing people across WA. Some cases date back seven decades. In September last year a rally was held outside WA's Parliament house to demand more action and raise awareness about missing persons in WA's north including Wesley Lockyer, Zayne Stevens and Clinton Lockyer. They were some of the six Indigenous men who have disappeared from communities in the state's north in recent years. In December last year, the state government announced a reward of up to $500,000 for any information that solved a long-term mission persons case in WA. Crime Stoppers WA is asking anyone with new information about missing persons cases to contact them online or call, and submissions can be anonymous.
ABC News
24-05-2025
- ABC News
Nannup rallies to help stranded French backpackers after kangaroo crash delays road trip
Just hours after starting their West Australian road trip, Melina Gitton and Florian Crepinior's journey came to a halt when they hit a kangaroo and found themselves stranded on the side of a dark road. The French backpackers did not know then that Nannup, 270 kilometres south of Perth, would become their home for the next 23 days. Or that locals would rally behind them by offering support, shelter, and even fixing their damaged car. "It was four hours [into our trip] and it was dark already and we hit a roo," Ms Gitton said. "The kangaroo crossed the road and that was it. It was really scary." Their newly-purchased car was wrecked, underinsured, and the couple had nowhere to go. Fortunately, help was not too far away. The pair were taken to the home of Kate and Craig Jenkins who lived a couple of kilometres away. The couple spent Easter with the Jenkins family, attended local sport and became fast friends with their Australian host family. In a town of about 1,500 people it did not take long for word to spread about the stranded "Frenchies". The community spirit from Nannup locals was not something the Parisian couple had ever experienced before. "It was crazy to see how many people wanted to help us with donations," Ms Gitton said. "When we went to the town and the church a lot of people were just like 'oh, you're the French people'. It was really nice to see. We got a lot of love messages and a lot of help." Mr Crepinior said he was blown away by the kindness of strangers. "We have never met those people and they're just helping us," he said. "I think without this kangaroo we would never know about Nannup. We were unlucky, but in this unlucky we were lucky. "Until the end of my life, for sure, I will never forget that." While a three-week homestay was not what Kate and Craig Jenkins had expected, they were more than happy to help. "The car was not drivable, the whole front was smashed in," Ms Jenkins said. "They were in a bit of a pickle really and they were stranded at our place. They had used most of their money buying this car. She said her husband, despite not being a mechanic or a panelbeater, helped Mr Crepinior fix the car. "Neither of them had done it before but they worked it out together. Then what they couldn't figure out our local mechanic in Nannup fixed up the last few bits," Ms Jenkins said.
