Mid July and its cool and wet

 This has been a fairly wet weekend with 21mm of rain falling while we were there. The power was down to 12.4v when we arrived, but Saturday and Sunday were brighter so we had no issues with the power. 

We took about 15 plants around to Ian on Saturday afternoon. They included a Heketara and a Mahoe along with several Coprosma propinqua and Mapou. While we were there we dug out about a dozen Coprosma rhamnoides from a path down the hill. I planted half of these above our drive and the others came home to be potted on for planting next year. 

There is a gravely area alongside the road near our drive, I think it is probably where the road used to go. We planted it up with manuka and a couple of Kahikatea some years ago and they have done well. Last year I added in about 20 Mahoe. There were cattle in there a month back and they chewed most of the Mahoe, fingers crossed they will put out new shoots in the spring. I planted 48 C. propinqua between the Mahoe and the Manuka on Sunday so, with luck, we will have more long term cover there and more food for small birds. I had to avoid planting in the half nearer the stream as the spraying over the last couple of seasons has not yet wiped out the Tradescantia or Blackberry growing there. 

Immature Thread Fern
The National Bird Survey was a week ago and we saw Kereru along with several other species, but on Sunday I counted 37 of them. This is the most I have counted there and I am quite excited about it. I am pretty confident with the count too, as It was done from a good vantage point while the birds quietly drifted in to a group of Tree Lucerne in ones and twos. Counting is usually quite difficult as they come in low and quiet and when they leave it is always in a rush and it is hard to know you haven't double counted or missed some. 

We also saw several Tui, along with Waxeyes, Fantails and a single Swallow. I do hope there is a pair of Swallows to nest outside the kitchen window again, I do love to watch there progress and especially when there are young ones looking over the side of the nest and getting ready to fly for the first time. 

Male Fern?

We are getting quite a range of fern species now and I got a good photo this time of a clump of immature Thread Fern, Blechnum filiforme. We also have a significant number of a fern that I think is probably the invasive northern hemisphere species Male Fern. I have pulled out several clumps already, so I hope it isn't the similar Gully Fern. I have several Rasp Fern in various places, but our ones are not showing the characteristic pink young fronds at this time of year. 

Karaka with flower buds


When we first fenced off the lower flats, we planted three Karaka we rescued from the upper harbour. I am always in two minds about planting Karaka on our place, as it was probably not native here. Maaori  settlers spread it around the country as a food crop. Our plants are showing flower buds now and are at least 6m tall. I expect that means the decision about whether they can stay has been made. It is interesting to think about early introductions of species like Ti Pore, Hue and maybe even Hibiscus trionum. I wonder what other species we call native were brought in before records were kept. 


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