NZ field trips February 2007

[David Lyttle]

Hi Dave,

Good that you were able to get out - I presume it was Mt Bee you went back to. I think you are looking at Raoulia buchananii in different shades of green. Raoulia eximia is not meant to occur further south than North Otago, the Hawkduns and Ida Range being the southern limit. Love your pictures of Celmisia philocremna.

[hadacekf]

Hi Dave,
Beautiful pictures of a very beautiful plants. Love your picture of  Leucogenes grandiceps. Thanks

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great show Dave !
Thanks a lot !!! 

[Gunnebert]

Hello David.
Thanks for a wonderful trip with beautiful views and informative plantphotos.
Some Celmisias and Hebe can grow up here but seldom survive our wet-cold winters.
Gunne-Bert   Bromma - 25C

[David Nicholson]

Dave, marvellous photographs, I really enjoyed them. It's like hiking without the effort

[Paddy Tobin]

Jeepers, Dave,

I'm exhausted just from looking at those mountains.

A fabulous show entirely. It's just brilliant to be able to see all these plants and the habitats in which they grow.

Many thanks, Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

I love the sign Maggi. I haven't seen it myself but would suggest that someone was "taking the Michael" as those poor Australian cricket commentators said yesterday as yet another 6 was hit off Glenn McGrath. Oh dear, 4 straight one-day losses in a row and loss of their top world ranking. Poor Australians! (I do love that wonderful German word!)

[Joakim B]

Lesley we in Sweden have the same word but then it is called skade glädje.
It means missery happines and implies someone else´s missery offcourse.
So up north a lot of peoples have that in the vocabulary. 
Joakim

[David Lyttle]

Today John Fitzgerald and I made a quick trip to the Ida Range inland and north of Dunedin. We reached the crest of the range but did not continue to the highest point We spent some time botanising on some rocky outcrops there. There was a strong northwest wind blowing which made conditions a bit unpleasant but otherwise we had a very succesful day finding the incomparable Raoulia petriensis and a couple of undescribed plants.

The first picture is a view from the crest of the Range looking down the Kyeburn more or less in the direction of the access road. Beyond is the farmland of the upper Strath Taieri.

The second picture is looking across the Kyeburn towards the Kakanui Range. The Kakanui Range is 1600 metres at its highest point. The Ida Range is about the same height.

The third picture is looking down Blue Duck Creek across to the St Mary Range to the north.
This is one of the locations where Ranunculus acraeus is found. The area between the Ida Range, Hawdun Range and St Mary Range is a huge dissected plateau draining north to the Waitaki River. It is completely unihabited. The Kyeburne drains south to the Taieri River which ultimately reaches the coast south of Dunedin.

The fourth picture is of Raoulia petriensis. This is a rare plant and is growing here on wind eroded scree on a ridge crest.

The fifth picture is of a Wahlenbergia which I believe is not described. It grows on scree and is more robust and fleshier than Wahlenbergia albomarginata which is the common grassland species and also common in the area. It was a hit and miss affair getting a photo of this paricular specimen as the flowers were getting blown around in the wind. Our vehicle was rocking in the wind gusts at the time.

[galanthophile]

Fantastic photos - what a trip! What a glorious country!

[David Lyttle]

More pictures,

Lunch at Blue Duck Creek hut. This hut has most certainly seen better days. It would have been used to accomodate musterers.  Sheep are grazed on this high country over the summer and are brought back down before the winter snow arrives.

The second picture is of Aciphylla aurea growing amongst snow tussock (Chionochloa)

The third picture is of Raoulia subsericea growing in tussock grassland. This species is resistant to grazing and is very common at low to mid altitudes.

Back on the rock outcrops we found Raoulia eximia growing as magnificent flowing cushion. The closeup shows the details of the flowers and foliage. This species is at its southern limit here.

Helichrysum intermedium - the plant was blowing about in the wind while I was taking the photo and I was not too steady myself. The photo is a little blurred but not too bad. This species characteristically grows on rock outcrops and can be white flowered as in this specimen or yellow flowered.

Leucogenes grandiceps the South Island edelweiss - always attractive in flower.

Lobelia roughii growing on scree. This plant is well comouflaged and we were fortunate to find it.

Another scenic shot looking across to the Mt Buster gold workings. The diggings are the conspicuous white areas in the middle distance. Gold was recovered from the quartz gravels by sluicing. The area is still used for grazing sheep.

Final picture is of the Mt Buster gold workings

[hadacekf]

David, not only that South Island edelweiss is always attractive – your all pictures are always attractive!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

David, you're really making all of our mouths water - if sealevels rise even more than predicted, don't blame global warming ....

Great show again, thanks a million !

[David Nicholson]

Great pictures David, thank you.

[Lesley Cox]

He's a great photographer, isn't he?