NZ Field trips - December

[kiwi]

A day in the mountains with future members of the NZAGS and SRGC!

[Maggi Young]

Goodness me! A sight to gladden our hearts for all sorts of reasons  

I hope Sue is at hand to give the Bookeroo smelling salts - those buttercups are a real treat, but may be too much for his nerves......

[ranunculus]

Start them off as you mean them to proceed, Doug ... with UNBELIEVABLE buttercups ... oh for a plant like that in my apology for a garden! So many thanks for posting.

[kiwi]

Cheers, if I didn't have the kids with me I would probley have been up there photographing them into the night!
Other than the buttercups, there was only a few other things flowering...
Chionohebe pulvinaris
Psychrophila obtusa
Raoulia australis

[David Lyttle]

Doug,

Very envious of your Ranunculus haastii, Psychrophila looks very lush as well and Rauolia australis is flowering magnificently. After last season I was not sure if it would even be worthwhile going out this season. You have convinced me that it is.

regards,

David

[Anthony Darby]

Stunning place and gorgeous plants.

[jandals]

Went for a walk with my daughter over the weekend . Ended up in a bog in the lower Hollyford with one boot coming apart . Not a lot flowering but beautiful weather (26C at Milford Sound)

Moraine Creek bridge





Aciphylla horrida



Bulbinella gibbsii balanifera

[Lesley Cox]

Beautiful pictures as always Steve. Surely the Bulbinella would make a good garden plant?

You forgot to point out, for those lucky people with a scent button on their computers, that the Psychrophila (still Caltha to me) has a wonderful sweet honey perfume.

[jandals]

Thanks Lesley . I don't grow Bulbinella gibbsii balanifera but I do grow Bulbinella rossii and they flowered well this year . Flies appear to be the main pollinators . They also appear to be common pollinators on Anisotome latifolia . I have been told that flies are prolific on the subantarctic islands and any woollen socks left out to dry are quickly fly blown .
Anyway , they have done a marvellous job on the B.rossii and I have a lot of seed coming on ( all spoken for I'm afraid )

Bulbinella rossii







and Anisotome latifolia

[Anthony Darby]

Awesome plants.

[ranunculus]

The Anisotome border is magnificent Steve ... who needs to travel to the subantarctic islands when they could 'Go Jandals'?

All best wishes for Christmas and New Year to every one of our wonderful forum friends in the Southern Hemisphere and only two requests for 2012 ... keep safe (problems in Christchurch again today) and please keep posting.  Love to you all.

[jandals]

Cheers Cliff . Have fun tomorrow with the family .

Santa is bringing me 36 000 litres of water . Might slow him down a bit

[David Lyttle]

Thank you Cliff for your kind sentiments.

I have just been to the Ida Range and Mt Kyeburn looking for Ranunculus acraeus. We found a few plants but none in flower so here is a small Ranunculus gracilipes for you in lieu if a Christmas card.

For all those of you that are still confused here is Myosotis cheesemanii. (the genuine plant in the wild) It is quite rare and this record extends its known range.

I will post some more when i have more time

Merry Christmas and the best for 2012 to all our northen hemisphere friends.

PS Steve, I hope Santa remembers to bring you some beer as well - these dry summer days can make a man thirsty.

[Lesley Cox]

Ahhhhh...MEGAHERBS! The only possible advantage I can think of, in living in Balclutha. Merry Christmas Steve.

[Tim Ingram]

That picture of Ranunculus haastii is extraordinarily beautiful! A great Christmas present from the other side of the world. As an umbel lover I also really like Anisotome latifolia.....