There's a deadly menace on the Australian opal fields, it's nasty, has two-inch spines and it kills.

Hudson Pear is an invasive cactus species that has unfortunately infested large areas of the opal fields at Lightning Ridge, NSW, Australia. It has also spread to the other Australian opal fields, and is spreading throughout the rest of the country.

In the first video in the Bush Botany series, featuring Warwick Schofield, we look at Hudson Pear. Its origins, its biology, its interaction with humans and animals, its impact on the opal fields, its future spread. We also look at methods of controlling the cactus outbreak, past and present, and how YOU can help to contain and limit the spread of this vicious plant.