NZ field trips - October 2010

[kiwi]

Just spent 2 amazing days on the west coast of the south island. Alpines not far away from flowering.
This trip was just a warm up though and didn't get above the bush line! The area is up in the Hokitika Gorge, the waterfall - Dorothy Falls and the sunset overlooking the Tasman.
The plants - I'm not sure of the first one, Parahebe (lyallii?) and Oxalis sp (magellanica?) . I hope David is out there somewhere?

Next week we are heading into the Lake Tennyson area, hopefully some Ranunculus will be waiting for us.

[ranunculus]

Next week we are heading into the Lake Tennyson area, hopefully some Ranunculus will be waiting for us.

I will, I will, I will!!!!

Super images Doug.

[David Lyttle]

Hi Doug,

Good to see you back and out there. Hope things in Chch are returning to some semblance of normality for you and your family. First plant is Anaphalioides could be trinerve or subrigidum. Second is a Parahebe but cant tell which species because the leaves are not visible. Third is Oxalis magellanica as you have correctly identified.

[t00lie]

Hope Clint is thoroughly enjoying himself Doug.

I'm having an 8 mile hike tomorrow and up into the fell field the following day    in the UK Lakes District in an effort to get back into some sort of fitness....

Hopefully this low cloud will burn off so i can post a few photos.

Cheers Dave.

[kiwi]

Cheers David, will see if theres a better shot of the Parahebe.

Cliff, I think of you everytime I see a buttercup!

Dave - Gidday mate, Clint hasn't stopped smiling since he's been here! I think we have him hooked on NZ Alpines, In the last month he's been travelled the whole South Island twice!!! Now, if only we can find him a nice Kiwi Lass......

[ranunculus]

Cliff, I think of you everytime I see a buttercup!

My humble apologies, Doug!   

[David Lyttle]

Not much joy on the field trips here . The last two that I have been scheduled to go on were canceled due to bad weather. However I have been out and about on the odd fine day looking at rare plants. Sandymount on the Otago Peninsula is an interesting area. It has its own endemic Helichrysum, Helichrysum intermedium var tumidum growing on the sea cliffs. It also has an unusual kowhai related to Sophora microphylla and an un-named species of Melicytus.

First some scenic shots

1 Mt Charles

2 Harbour Cone

3 Hoopers Inlet

4 Allan's Beach

5 Coastal scrub forest with Kowhais

6 Kowhai in flower

7 Red Admiral butterfly on kowhai flower. Red Admirals are plentiful in the area as their host plant Urtica ferox is abundant they were out flying and feeding on the kowhai flowers.

[David Lyttle]

Back to Sandymount on another day

1 Melicytus flowers female

2 Melicyus flowers male ( I cheated here as I took the specimens home and photographed them)

3 Leucopogon fraseri

4 A nice clump of Leucopogon fraseri

5.6 Next the shrub Raukaua anomalus This shrub belongs to the  Araliaceae family and is related to Pseudopanax (It was incuded in the genus until recently) It is a divaricating species and looks nothing like its closest relatives. One plant was recorded in this locality in 1986 and I found it again earlier this year. On my next visit I could not find it again so Icme back for another look. As you can see you could walk right past it - from a distance it looks like Coprosma propinqua which is vey common there

[David Lyttle]

1,2,3 More scenic shots, with a lot of sea cloud blowing in.

4, Looking south along the coast of the Otago Peninsula

5. An old stone wall covered in white lichen.

6 A little scrap of coastal forest clinging to a bluff. It is very interesting place and contains a number of rare species (Coprosma virescens, Carmichaelia petriei, Olearia fragrantissima). I saw some kowhais growing in it and went down to have a look. Not a good idea It is a jumble of enourmous boulder that have fallen from the bluffs and has an understory of Urtica ferox. I did not mange to reach the kowhais and decided I did not really want to be there I was doing OK with the nettle until I accidently grabbed one.  My hand is still tingling a day later..
I found a hybrid between the shrub Helichrysum lanceolatum and Anphalioides bellidioides. Similar hybrids were originally described as Helichrysum purdiei.

7  View of Sandymount summit

8 Lovers Leap There is a viewing platform at the top of the cliffs where you can look directly down to the sea.  The leap is based in the imagination and not in historical fact.

9 Columnar basalt cliffs

[kiwi]

Some beautiful country there David.
The native Clematis are in full flower everywhere I go at the moment.
I have really become intrigued by the genus this year and have begun to grow a few species.
The first 4 are from a garden I visited last week.
C afoliata, C paniculata, and the 4th I need to get an id.
the last two flowering in my garden are C X cartmanii and C marmoraria.

[David Lyttle]

Some beautiful country there David.
The native Clematis are in full flower everywhere I go at the moment.

Doug ,

Its beautiful until you get up close and personal then it becomes really ugly.

Your Clematis are flowering a few days earlier than the ones down here - ours are not quite in bloom yet.

The 4th Clematis is Clematis foetida reasonably common on the Eastern side of the South Island.

[David Lyttle]

Out for a walk today to look at some more kowhais - most looked like normal Sophora microphylla. A lot were devoid of leaves and most had finished flowering.

1 Typical kowhai (Sophora microphylla)

2 Clematis foetida in full bloom ( for Doug)

Some scenic shots;

3 Cape Saunders

4 View of Sandymount which I had visited on my previous posting

5 Old farm track

6 mt Charles from a different angle

[David Lyttle]

6 Mt Charles from a different angle (should have been in previous posting)

[kiwi]

Loving that Clematis David

Clint and I tramped into Mt Somers today, I'll let the pictures speak for us!!!

Ranunculus crithmifolius heaven

Tomorrow we are back into the mountains for an overnighter, stay tuned.....

[Maggi Young]

Enjoying these pictures, as ever! How lucky we are to be able to share these trips with you.

Great to see, also, that you are ensuring a fantastic travel experience for yet another happy mountain tramping European!