A bit of a falsehood for my first posting on this thread :) --(however i promise that my next posting will be of a trip to view alpines at sea level --then into the mountains proper).
I thought members might be interested in seeing what most of New Zealand would have looked like, before land clearance and timber harvesting reduced the size of the native podocarp forests.
These forests can still be found in some parts of the North Island------ and here at the bottom of NZ in my home province of Southland. The largest podocarp forests are on the West Coast of the South Island.
Podocarp forests are a mixture of tall podocarps and smaller trees with an understorey of shrubs, plants and ferns and soil and climate conditions play a major role in determining which species are the most dominant .
In Southland, Totara ,(up to 30 mtrs in height),grows closest to the coast, on almost pure sand. As the soil nutrient levels increase, Mataï and Rimu appear. With Kahikatea ,(up to 60mtrs in height),on the wetter sites.
Although they belong to the conifer family which reproduces using cones, podocarps spread their seeds through berries which are transported by being passed through birds. Because of the abundant range of fruits, podocarp forests also support larger communities of insects and birds such as bellbird and tui .
Our residence is situated in one of these forest ,(bush), remnants which backs onto a larger public native reserve and although we are only a couple of ks from the coast our bush has most of the large forest trees mentioned above.
The first pic is of our house surrounded by bush on all sides to give you an idea of scale.
The following pics are of the various genera of dominant trees ,various ferns –Asplenium and Blechnum sps ---–the long strap like leaves of the bush flax ,Astelia ---the stringy bark of a tree Fuchsia and finally the impressive Dicksonia,(tree ferns),all within a few metres of our back door.
Cheers Dave.
Comments
Steve Newall (not verified)
Summertime is nearly here in
Sun, 10/26/2014 - 11:43amSorry . Don't seem to be able to post the pictures . Will try again later .
Summertime is nearly here in NZ , so emptied the spiders out of boots and headed off into the hills over the weekend . Our mission was to walk half of the Mount Somers Walkway .Doug and I parked the car at the eastern entance and Hamish. Mikka and Shota met us halfway then we all returned to their car at the western entrance . From there they drove us back to our car for the princely sum of five large icecreams .
Clematis paniculata was flowering prolifically at lower elevations on the eastern side
The side trail to Sharplin Falls is well made and caters for those who want a short hike in the forest
Sharplin Falls
It's a hard road finding the perfect hiking companion so sometimes you just have to take what you are given
Looking north from Duke Knob to the Canterbury Plains
The track goes behind a small waterfall...
...to Pinnacle Hut hiding in the shrubs
Some of which are (from the left) Mountain Toatoa , Dracophyllum sp and Bog Pine
The Pinnacles are a handy workout area for the rock climbing fraternity
Toole (not verified)
Cool pics Steve.Looks a
Sun, 10/26/2014 - 11:55amCool pics Steve.Looks a lovely scenic area ...maybe one day ...
.
Cheers Dave.
Steve Newall (not verified)
Looks like it's only the
Sun, 10/26/2014 - 12:10pmLooks like it's only the insert button on embedded images that hates me . Must be doing something wrong there .
The next day after a lovely sunrise we headed west and the track became a little easier once we had passed the north face of Mt.Somers . We found some lovely Ranunculus crithmifolius on the scree . Lunch was at Woolshed Hut with Hamish , Mikka and Shota(7) and from there we headed across the swingbridge on the Rhyolite Track . Even waited for a bus at the bus stop but I guess the buses don't run at the weekend . It was a great overnight trip and the icecreams really did finish off the trip nicely
Richard T. Rodich
All those wonderful pics look
Sun, 10/26/2014 - 6:07pmAll those wonderful pics look so inviting, Steve!
[quote=Steve Newall]Looks like it's only the insert button on embedded images that hates me . Must be doing something wrong there .[/quote]
The system seems to be optimized with the Internet Explorer browser, for the most part, unfortunately. Goofy things happen even with Firefox, although pretty easy to put up with, and FF is what I use. But I just tried IE and I am stymied by the insert button also. I will see if I can garner some attention to this, yet another, problem.
Steve Newall (not verified)
Thanks for looking in to it
Mon, 10/27/2014 - 1:18amThanks for looking in to it Rick . It has been awhile since I last posted a picture and I thought I must have forgotten something
Dave - I would like to go back again next year so maybe a visit for you then
Toole (not verified)
Steve Newall wrote:
Mon, 10/27/2014 - 12:11pm[quote=Steve Newall]
Dave - I would like to go back again next year so maybe a visit for you then
[/quote]
Sweet.....
Trond Hoy
Thanks for showing, Steve. I
Mon, 10/27/2014 - 2:43pmThanks for showing, Steve. I never tire of looking at pictures from the Antipodes ;-)
Mark McDonough
I suggest adding NARG.ORG to
Mon, 10/27/2014 - 12:17pmI suggest adding NARG.ORG to "Compatibility View Settings" in Internet Explorer (with IE browser menu bar turned on, go to Tools > Compatibility View Settings. and add current site - Nargs.org). With IE, I have a couple apps where file upload (and downloads) will not work unless I turn on that setting. Newer versions of Firefox are driving me crazy too, with memory usage, suddenly using up all memory, crashing frequently, and other issues, dang browsers!
Richard T. Rodich
Mark, your Compatibility View
Mon, 10/27/2014 - 8:49pmMark, your Compatibility View suggestion worked for me. Thanks!
Toole (not verified)
Spent last weekend in the
Wed, 12/10/2014 - 11:35pmSpent last weekend in the company of a number of plant 'nuts' visiting the Nelson Lakes area near the top of the South Island.
On the way to our camp site late in the day we came across numerous 'Penwipers' in bloom ,Notothlapsi rosulatum.
View showing the dry looking country.
.However there were wet areas where a fine plant of Celmisia sinclairii was located.
.
Raoulia grandiflora was also nearby.
Toole (not verified)
Early next morning Doug and I
Wed, 12/10/2014 - 11:54pmEarly next morning Doug and I climbed the ridge behind the camp .View looking back.
As we reached the screes 'vegetable sheep', Haastia pulvinaris were sighted .A couple of shots showing the variation in growth habit. 
.Further ,on finer scree the smaller Haastia sinclairii .
In stable benches between the altitudinal screes ,hidden somewhat by a prostrate Dracophyllum ,a lovely tight cushion ,Chionohebe pulvinaris and close up.
View looking north and Doug 'sussing out ' a route down off the ridgeline.
Richard T. Rodich
Stark, but beautiful, Dave!
Thu, 12/11/2014 - 3:42pmStark, but beautiful, Dave!
I notice how well the Notothlaspi blend with the native rocks there. What happens when they grow on other substrates..... does that population color differ?
And another question popped up in my head: do you have cool season and warm season grasses as we do in the northern hemisphere?
Toole (not verified)
Hello Rick
Fri, 12/12/2014 - 3:08pmHello Rick
I've only ever seen Notothlapsi rosulatum on greywacke screes ,(I don't think it is found on any other substrates).However there is also a greener foliaged form many of which we also saw in the company of the 'type' plant.
Not sure about the grasses.I'll get back to you on that one ....
Trond Hoy
Rick, what do you mean with
Sun, 12/14/2014 - 10:00amRick, what do you mean with cool season and warm season grasses?
Dave, your (I mean all of you!) trips are always interesting! Both the plants and landscape are weird and alluring.
Doug looks like a backpacker - does he bring all his gear and sleep outside?
Richard T. Rodich
Hoy wrote:
Sun, 12/14/2014 - 5:46pm[quote=Hoy]Rick, what do you mean with cool season and warm season grasses?[/quote]
Gee, I thought the terms were universal!
Cool season grasses are those that like it when temperatures are cool, from freezing to around 75°F (24°C) - approximating temps here. Above that, growth slows or or migh even stop with some species. Kentucky Blue grass and alpine grasses are in this category. Warm season grasses don't really start growing until temperatures reach at least 50°F (10°C), and continue to grow through hot weather. Zoysia grass is a warm season grass. We can grow it here in Minnesota, but it would only be green green from mid June through August, and be brown for 9.5 months of the year.
Trond Hoy
Thanks Rick. I did think it
Sun, 12/14/2014 - 10:01pmThanks Rick. I did think it was something like that but we don't have it here. The temperature is almost never as high as above 75F and when it happens it doesn't last for long. Some grasses (annuals mostly) are able to grow during the the fall and mild winters in the lowland though and take a rest during dry weather in summer. So it is never high temps but drought which stops plants from growing in summer here.
Margaret Young
RickR wrote:
Mon, 12/15/2014 - 4:24am[quote=RickR]
Gee, I thought the terms were universal!
Cool season grasses are those that like it when temperatures are cool, from freezing to around 75°F (24°C) - approximating temps here. Above that, growth slows or or migh even stop with some species. Kentucky Blue grass and alpine grasses are in this category. Warm season grasses don't really start growing until temperatures reach at least 50°F (10°C), and continue to grow through hot weather. Zoysia grass is a warm season grass. We can grow it here in Minnesota, but it would only be green green from mid June through August, and be brown for 9.5 months of the year.
[/quote] I wasn't familiar with that concept, either. Perhaps it is not well-known, or relevant in Europe, so that's why we don't know it.
For me, a grass is a grass. What a joy this simple life is!
Trond Hoy
Hi Maggi, I disagree! Grass
Mon, 12/15/2014 - 8:38amHi Maggi, I disagree! Grass isn't simply grass! (I'm not talking about the illegal thing.) In my garden I have at least two kinds: Grass as in the lawn (often more moss though) and grass as weed in the beds and tracks. For unknown reasons the last category is the toughest and impossible to remove
Margaret Young
Trond, I dug up the last of
Mon, 12/15/2014 - 9:41amTrond, I dug up the last of our lawn about twenty years ago - can't say we have ever missed it! Ian has a tendency to sneak in some so called "decorative " grasses from time to time, but I am vigilant
- I just don't think they suit this garden, though I do see some plantings of them that I find attractive. I just haven't got an urge to grow 'em - any of them!
Toole (not verified)
Hoy wrote:
Sun, 12/14/2014 - 10:55pm[quote=Hoy]
Dave, your (I mean all of you!) trips are always interesting! Both the plants and landscape are weird and alluring.
Doug looks like a backpacker - does he bring all his gear and sleep outside?
[/quote]
Thanks Trond.
Doug's pack looks bulky as he tends ,(as I do),to be well prepared and carry wet weather gear,camera and lenses and plenty of water.The packs weren't all that heavy. While there was plenty of room back at the hut he slept in his tent while as I couldn't be bothered erecting mine had a couple of nights reclining in his vehicle ......
Trond Hoy
Yes, I see. It's like here
Sun, 12/14/2014 - 11:38pmYes, I see. It's like here when I am around.
You bring a lot of water you say, is due to lack of reliable water sources? Can you drink the water in the creeks?
Toole (not verified)
Hoy wrote:
Mon, 12/15/2014 - 12:07am[quote=Hoy]
Yes, I see. It's like here when I am around.
You bring a lot of water you say, is due to lack of reliable water sources? Can you drink the water in the creeks?
[/quote]
Water in the creeks is fine to drink Trond however I'm never that keen on losing height into a creek bed once I'm on top of an exposed ridge ......
Trond Hoy
I can understand that!
Mon, 12/15/2014 - 12:49amI can understand that!
Toole (not verified)
The last couple days away
Mon, 12/15/2014 - 12:01amThe last couple days away meant travelling further north to just about the top of the South Island were we ventured up the Mt Arthur track through a forest of 'grass trees', Dracophyllum traversii.
.Early next morning Mt Arthur was mostly hidden by clouds however there was plenty of action plant wise at our feet to take our minds off the slog ahead.
Large cushions of Raoulia eximia
Celmisia hybrid between C.sessiliflora and C.traversii.(foliage of C.discolor to the right).
Euphrasia sps.
Ranunculus insignis 
As the day progressed the cloud lifted enough to show Mt Arthur and a snow patch that had to be climbed to reach the top
A change of plans near the end of the day meant descending to our vehicles in mist and an end to a particularly long day .
Steve Newall (not verified)
Enjoyed the pics from Mt
Tue, 12/16/2014 - 9:10amEnjoyed the pics from Mt.Arthur Dave and wish I had been there too . The dracophyllums are my favourite shrubs .
I'm off into hills to collect Hieracium seed near the Gorge Burn and hopefully the weather holds . If it does I might sneak off for a bit and see what other plants I can find
Tim Ingram (not verified)
Wonderful pictures from New
Fri, 12/26/2014 - 10:13amWonderful pictures from New Zealand. Apropos warm and cold growing grasses - we have had good flowering of Miscanthus 'Giganteus' for the first time that I remember this year, no doubt because last winter was so mild and wet and it had a good long growing season. The variegated M. 'Cosmopolitan' was magnificent in October and still looks good now, this flowers quite well most years but not usually as well as this!
Back to the NZ theme - these are two shots taken at The Botanics in Edinburgh in late August of Chionochloa rubra - really makes a striking specimen.
Toole (not verified)
Red tussock ,(Chionochloa
Fri, 01/09/2015 - 11:04amRed tussock ,(Chionochloa rubra),I've used a lot around the local airport planting Tim.I love its movement when subject to the strong coastal winds we get down here.
Just catching up on posting a number of trips into the hills of the last few weeks.So here goes.
Between Xmas and New Year the NZAGS held a field trip onto the PIsa Range ,Central Otago .It had been a number of years since i had visited that area so I tagged along....
It took us a lengthy period to travel up the farm, then Dept of Conservation track, to Lake Mckay ,
On western slopes falling down to the lake in seepage's a mass flowering of the small Ranunculus gracilipes.
On the other side of the lake in more dryer spots the dense cushions of Anisotome imbricata var imbricata with blooms that sit in or just on top of the foliage.
More to come later ......
Margaret Young
Great photos, Dave.
Fri, 01/09/2015 - 11:46amGreat photos, Dave.
I just wish we didn't have to have the pix open in a new box and have to be closed again to move on the the next one. I'm afraid I still find this system to be less than user-friendly. *sigh!*
Toole (not verified)
Thanks a lot Maggi
Fri, 01/09/2015 - 12:07pmThanks a lot Maggi
If you keep left clicking on each photo it quickly brings up the next shot in that posting.Yes you have to close out if you want to view the next set of photos in the next or prior postings.
All comes down to what one is used to .I find that for example on the SRGC Forum the loading to view each resized photo and subsequent scrolling and loading to see the next is slower than here.
Cheers Dave.
Margaret Young
Oh yes, that "left-click"
Fri, 01/09/2015 - 12:25pmOh yes, that "left-click" trick is a good one, thank you.
So many of the pix on the SRGC forum now are loaded full size so I prefer the simple scrolling down a page where one can read the text at the same time as viewing the photos - each to their own, eh?
Toole (not verified)
(No subject)
Fri, 01/09/2015 - 1:14pmToole (not verified)
Pisa Range continued.
Fri, 01/09/2015 - 1:44pmPisa Range continued.
In snow tussock grasslands patches of Hebejeebie densifolia
and in depressions Gaultheria nubicola .Lovely colour combinations.....
A terrific year for Hectorella caespitosa with cushions everywhere in bloom.
Seeing that the others in the group were doing some intensive botanising around the lake I climbed alone past the large snow banks and crested the range onto the 
extensive cushion field plateau.View looking north down towards Lake Hawea.
I wanted a look around the Tors that dot the plateau.Here's a view looking west over the valley to the Cardrona Ski Field on the next Range.
On the shady spots of these impressive rock formations I found Myosotis pulvinaris in full flower .Surprizingly well ahead of the plants we came across lower down in more open positions ....
Trond Hoy
It is always a pleasure to
Sat, 01/10/2015 - 12:55amIt is always a pleasure to follow your steps, Dave! Beautiful flowers and beautiful landscape. Especially on a day like today when a storm is building up and maybe become a hurricane. We are warned from going out later today.
Toole (not verified)
Hoy wrote:
Sat, 01/10/2015 - 11:45pm[quote=Hoy]
It is always a pleasure to follow your steps, Dave! Beautiful flowers and beautiful landscape. Especially on a day like today when a storm is building up and maybe become a hurricane. We are warned from going out later today.
[/quote]
Thank you Trond --I have a couple more postings when time allows to complete the Pisa trip then a couple more for the subsequent Old Man Range visit .......
Hope the Hurricane was 'a non event' my friend.
Trond Hoy
We were hit yesterday noon
Sun, 01/11/2015 - 9:57amWe were hit yesterday noon and lost the power for 28 hours, just got it back now. A small tree in the garden was uprooted and a lot of my wintergreen plants are almost defoliated! Fortunately no serious damage at our place.
Toole (not verified)
Hoy wrote:
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 11:04pm[quote=Hoy]
We were hit yesterday noon and lost the power for 28 hours, just got it back now. A small tree in the garden was uprooted and a lot of my wintergreen plants are almost defoliated! Fortunately no serious damage at our place.
[/quote]
Please to hear you were Okay Trond.
Continuing on with the Pisa Range trip ..
Leaving the cushion plateau I headed down to the lake and vehicles
and came across some good sized patches of Celmisia brevifolia in bloom and a nice form of Brachyscome longiscapa.
Heading down in the vehicles we stopped at a seepage
where an unidentified Chionohebe sps was found.It's form ,habitat and green foliage had us stumped.
.I'm waiting to hear back from David Lyttle on an ID.
Edit :Just heard back that the Chionohebe is C.glabra.
Toole (not verified)
Final set of images from Pisa
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 11:22pmNearby the seepage on depleted vegetative spots a couple of Raoulias.The larger Raoulia youngii in flower nestled up against R.'aff'.apicinigra .
Gentianella divisa were just coming into bloom.
Lower down still, extensive fields of Aciphylla aurea .
Very large cushions of Celmisia sessiliflora
In between the wheel marks on the track ,one of the dwarf brooms, Carmichaelia vexillata
That's it folks ....
Trond Hoy
Toole wrote:
Sat, 01/17/2015 - 1:36am[quote=Toole]
That's it folks ....
[/quote]
I really hope it's not the final set of images from you, Dave!
I do enjoy following outings like yours in NZ.
Although we have a lot of nature in Norway the flora isn't as rich as all the different habitats give room for because of the young age of the flora here.
Toole (not verified)
Hoy wrote:
Sat, 01/17/2015 - 8:16pm[quote=Hoy]
I really hope it's not the final set of images from you, Dave!
[/quote]
Okay Trond you've twisted my arm .....
Traveling home from the Pisa Range on the Monday I suggested to David Lyttle that he and I have a peek on the Old Man Range .Although I had my motorbike on the back of my truck David suggested I hop into his new vehicle and head up the hill.
David and his new toy .....
I was most impressed.
.Immediately upon exiting the ute we spied Ranunculus pachyrrhizus .In places they were that numerous you had to carefully pick your way through the plants to avoid stepping on them.
View of cushion field community on a bank --dark green growths of Dracophyllum muscoides -- a lonely Cemisia viscosa -- the silver looking Raoulia hectorii .
Nearby, Ourisia glandulosa
and yummy Phyllachne rubra
Scenery shot looking southeast
and the woody Celmisia ramulosa var.tuberculata.
Toole (not verified)
We managed a few more plant
Sat, 01/17/2015 - 8:44pmWe managed a few more plant sightings before we called it a day ,early afternoon.
David setting up for a wide angled scenic shot..
Close up of Geum uniflorum.
Creeping mats of which i think was Kelleria villosa. 
. Celmisia brevifolia was flowering here on the Old Man range as well as the Pisa .Surely one of the most reliable daisies for colour each season ....
Contrasting habitat either side of a stream bed .
.Celmisia haastii var. haastii on very wet boggy ground just below a snow bank.
Having view multiple areas of green leaved Celmisia viscosa ,the sighting of a silver form grabs one's attention pretty quickly--firstly as a single plant
then as a comparison, David climbing up through both coloured leaf forms.....
Cheers Dave.
Trond Hoy
Hi Dave,
Sun, 01/18/2015 - 8:59amHi Dave,
I am glad it isn't that hard to persuade you!
Although the landscape isn't that much different from Norway, the flora is. Especially do we lack cushion and mat forming plants.
Geum uniflorum looks very pristine! And the Celmisias are very nice as always.
Mark McDonough
Thanks Dave for creating this
Sun, 01/18/2015 - 3:37pmThanks Dave for creating this journal of amazing plants and fantastic landscapes. I've been quiet on the forum, out of last 5 weeks had been traveling 3 weeks at 3 different locations, sadly all work stuff and nothing to do with plants, then of course the huge backlogs pile up by the time I get back; counting the months and days until I reach the possibility of early retirement.
In your more recent posts, I'm astounded by Gaultheria nubicola, Myosotis pulvinaris, the unidentified Chionohebe, and many other pulvinate NZ plants, the flora is fascinating. Was particularly taken with Celmisia sessiliflora, the foliage is a bit "corkscrewy", never seen anything quite like that. And what a sweet little daisy, Brachycome longiscapa.
Toole (not verified)
Mark McD wrote:
Sun, 01/18/2015 - 8:55pm[quote=Mark McD]
Thanks Dave for creating this journal of amazing plants and fantastic landscapes. I've been quiet on the forum, out of last 5 weeks had been traveling 3 weeks at 3 different locations, sadly all work stuff and nothing to do with plants, then of course the huge backlogs pile up by the time I get back; counting the months and days until I reach the possibility of early retirement.
In your more recent posts, I'm astounded by Gaultheria nubicola, Myosotis pulvinaris, the unidentified Chionohebe, and many other pulvinate NZ plants, the flora is fascinating. Was particularly taken with Celmisia sessiliflora, the foliage is a bit "corkscrewy", never seen anything quite like that. And what a sweet little daisy, Brachycome longiscapa.
[/quote]
Thanks for those kind words Mark .Of course it's just not me that has posted to this thread .I've been privileged to accompany some wonderful friends over the years,(far more knowledgeable than me ), such as David Lyttle ,Steve Newall and Stewart Murray and I applaud their contributions ,Some times I wonder if it's all getting a bit too familiar ,(boring ), for folks, then I look at the stats for the number of viewings and currently at over 200,000 and increasing it's reassuring to know there is still quite a lot of interest.
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