New Zealand Field Trips December 2008

[David Lyttle]

Is the Booker lurking - here are few little buttercups we stumbled on this weekend.

[Gerdk]

Not only the Booker is lurking - a name please for the inexperienced ones . Super plants!

Gerd

[Maggi Young]

OOH! Snowy pictures from the New Zealand Summer....... I believe that for this trip , David Lytttle will have been in the company of Dave Toole, Hugh Wood and Swedish Forunist, Johan Nilson who is travelling in NZ at the moment and who has been helped by Kim Roberts and other kind Forumists and mountain loving folks!!    Hope it wasn't too snowy and cold ?!!


 I think the glorious ranuculus is R. acraeus   

[Maggi Young]

see these pages for more about this truly lovely buttercup........


http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=203.msg3825#msg3825

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=161.0
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=240.0


ps.... Ian says he thinks Ranunculus haastii!!

[ranunculus]

Just got back from a Father Christmas 'spectacular' on the Embsay steam railway (at Skipton, North Yorkshire) with our gorgeous little grandson Ollie and have been THRILLED to see these magnificent images, Dave ... beautiful enough to make a grown man grovel in the snow, 'nearly' cute enough to surpass Ollie's face as he spotted Santa entering our railway carriage, rare enough to make me covet them greatly.
May we enquire where these wonderful images were taken, Dave and how far you had to hike to find them?

[Rob Potterton]

David, thank you for posting the photos - the plants are absolutely GORGEOUS. I've been drooling over them all day and been left almost speechless. WOW, WOW and more WOW.

[t00lie]

A few to add to Davids pics above.

A wonderful weekend up on the St Mary's Range --North Otago.

Gerd and others ---the Ranunculus is R.acraeus as Maggi has suggested.

Rightio first pic ---Our overseas visitor ---Johan Nilson from Sweden.

A local --David Lyttle.

Two further pics of the buttercup including a nice sized clump.

View from the top ridge back towards the ski field.

Interesting rock formation.

There were one or two other 'weeds' flowering as well --Aciphylla dobsonii.

No doubt David will have heaps more to follow.

Cheers Dave

[Lesley Cox]

My God, that fourth picture, the "clump" is astounding. Almost like bedding out!!!

[ranunculus]

Absolutely stunning, Dave ... very interested to know the details of your hike into St. Mary's Range, please - i.e. distances involved, heights attained, etc.    Could a very old Englishman ever hope to see these gorgeous plants in the flesh?   

[Lvandelft]

Gorgeous pictures of 'weeds' . Thank you for showing these David and Dave.
Looking out for more.

My God, that fourth picture, the "clump" is astounding. Almost like bedding out!!!

And all these almost in your backyard Lesley!

[t00lie]

Hello Lesley/Cliff/Luit

Yes my thoughts as well when i first viewed the Ranunculus.

I understand clumping is one of the distinguishing features that sets it apart from R .haastii.

There were one two other similar sized plants, and many many smaller, however speaking late on Saturday night to Hugh Wood,(who has had an association with the colony for over 20 +years),flowering has been more impressive in the past and interestingly the plants have moved east over time across the scree away from the fine rock material.
 
A four wheel drive vehicle is required to reach the lodge on the Awakino ski field --St Marys Range.Further on from the top huts,(where vehicles are parked),the plants can be reached by foot in an hour and a half.

I'm not sure of your age Cliff (i'm too polite to enquire--wink),however a number in our group who were in their 70s reached the buttercups and still managed a hike the following morning.

If i remember correctly the plants are growing around about the 1600 + metre mark---David has some GPS readings so when he 'posts' next he may have more precise details.
 
Cheers dave.


  

 

[David Lyttle]

Greetings All,

I see Dave got home safely and on to the internet instead of cutting hedges as he said he was going to do.
This particular trip was under the auspices of the Botanical Society of Otago and was organised by me insofar as it was organised by anyone. There were 17 participants and we were fortunate to have Hugh Wood whom some of you will know with us. Hugh has an unparalleled knowledge of the botany of the area an was able to guide us to many plants that we would not have found otherwise.

The St Marys Range runs roughly southeast- northwest on the south side of the Waitaki River. The predominant rock type is graywacke which forms extensive screes unlike the schist rock found further south in Central Otago. The rock type supports a different suite of plants than those we are accustomed to seeing on the main Central otago Ranges with a number of local endemics and some undescribed species. The peaks rise to about 2000 m with the main ridges running about 1700-1800 metres.

So in respect to your question Cliff, there is about 3-4 hours walking to get to the plants from the skifield access partly on 4WD tracks and the remainder over boulder fields.

Picture 1 shows the scree slope where the main colony of Ranunculus acraeus is located. The plants are located below the snowbank to the left of the rock outcrops running down on the right hand side of the picture. Altitude is 1800 -1850 metres.

Picture 2 shows another area of Ranunculus habitat.

Picture 3 shows Dave descending. He is the little orange dot.

Picture 4 shows the ridge crest of the St Marys Range. If you look closely you can see the Aciphylla dobsonii plants growing on the slope in the foreground.

Picture 5 shows Dave taking his ease amongst the buttercups. Note the orange jacket and purple longjohns.

Picture 6 is of Johan

[David Lyttle]

Cliff, the discrepancy between my time estimates and Daves is that I am assuming you will want to go home and not  remain there forever.

[Ian Y]

Thanks to the two Daves for sharing this field trip - the plants and landscapes are awesome.

It does not seem like it is almost a year since I was out in the field with you both and these posts make it seem like I am still there with you and our young friend Johan who I know from experience will be having the time of his life.

Please keep them coming.

[Gerdk]

Really don't know what to admire more - plants, landscape or the colourful best dressed man on earth.  Thanks a lot for these pics.

Gerd