General Subjects > Travel / Places to Visit
NZ Field Trips November 2006
David Lyttle:
It is that time of year again. The snow has melted and the alpine plants are springing into life. Today I visited the Rock and Pillar Range. It is the easternmost and lowest range of Otago block mountains and has extensive areas of cushionfield vegetation on the summit. It has been the site of a lot of research by the University of Otago over the years and consequently a lot is known about the ecology and the vegetation growing there. The day was not ideal for photograpy with a strong northwest wind blowing and fairly sunny. Cushion plants do not wave in the breeze and it was too early for most things to be flowering. However I managed to get a few pictures.
Picture 1: A view looking towards the crest of the range with the low growing whipcord Hebe, Hebe poppelwellii in the foreground.
Picture 2: A small local endemic Abrotanella patearoa
Picture 3: Anisotome imbricata in flower
Picture 4: Ranunculus enysii
Picture 5: Non-flowering plant of Celmisia argentea with lichen Thamnolia vermicularis
Picture 6: Celmisia ramulosa showing flower buds. This Celmisia is a woody subshrub and forms neat rounded domes.
Picture 7: Celmisia viscosa just coming into flower. This is the dominant Celmisia of the herbfield and forms extensive patches. There are green and silver forms in the population. It is very well adapted to the rigorous conditions prevalent there as the leaves are tough and leathery with all the stomata being located on the undersurface in grooves lined with hairs.
Picture 8: Psychrophila obtusa (formerly Caltha obtusa) the plants were emerging from a melting snowbank with water seeping all around them. Celmisia haastiii var tomentosa was present in these areas as well but the plants were not yet flowering.
I cannot resist one more; Picture 9: The weta Hemideina maori. She was out wandering in the daylight which is not usual for these insects.
Ian Y:
David, you have rendered Maggi almost speechless: All she can say is....
"Oh, David, I was right there with you, up until the last photo ! I'm a proud Scotswoman... we fear nothing..... ....except big insects! Especially ones you could break your ankle tripping over!"
I will attempt to comfort her by feeding her good lunch with no meat products!
Thomas Huber:
Lovely insect - I would take it as a snack when hiking!
Maggi Young:
EEEEEEEEEKKKKKK!
Thomas Huber:
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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