Photos / Sounds
What
Tutu (Genus Coriaria)Observer
ecahillDescription
The best way to observe forest succession is to compare the prevalent plant life from disturbances in the same area. On our hike to Mt Aspiring on the Rob Roy Glacier track, we hiked along through a mostly filled forest, although we could observe rockier patches where disturbances like landslides, heavy wind and flooding had occurred. Attached is one of the more recent disturbances that we saw, evident by the most common types of plant life and lack of shrubs and smaller plants. Some of the plants we found in the filled regions of the forest were tree fuchsia , silver beech, lancewood and pittosporum, but these plants were not around in the earlier successions. In the space where the photo was taken, tutu and young beech trees were present, but likely will be washed away after the next heavy rain and flood. Most common was lichen and moss growing on the rocks, beginning to break down the boulders and rocks stacked from a landslide or 'slip'.
Glaciers carve out valleys as the move forward and retreat, and the valley floor is obviously full of nutrients because of the luscious forest we encountered. These valley walls can be steep, though, which makes it easier for landslides to occur with erosion because most of the nutrient soil is in the bottom of the valley so plants have little to hold on to. Above is what it looks like after a landslide and as plants grow back, the most luscious parts will be towards the bottom where lichen have been able to eat away at smaller rocks which have shrunk from tumbling down the sides of the valley. Tutu and young beech plants are some of the first to grow back, but koromiko, celery pine, wine berry and broadleaf come next after the conditions can allow for plants to grow strong without being knocked down.
Photos / Sounds
What
European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)Observer
ecahillDescription
The European Rabbit is, as its name implies, not native to New Zealand. In fact, bats are the only mammals native to New Zealand, but many other land mammals have been brought over to the islands from all over for different reasons. First were the rats, brought over with the Maori for food about 1,000 years ago. After Captain Cook arrived with his crew, deer, rabbits, dogs, cattle, possums and more were taken to the islands for food and economic development. Rabbits specifically were introduced for food and sport, but, as rabbits do, they multiplied and started a number of problems for farmers. Rabbits ate the same food that the cattle did but didn't provide wool or as much meat as larger animals and they quickly became a larger problem than anticipated.
Not long after, people looked for ways to poison rabbits, though this came with a number of issues as well. First was that other animals would also consume the poison creating a significant amount of loss of animals used by humans. In the 1950s, Sodium Monofluoroacetate or 1080 became the most effective poison for killing the rabbits. This has since become a controversial topic because of the damage that 1080 can have on entire ecosystems by knocking out animals on all levels of the food chain. On top of that, the poison works quickly for smaller creatures but is a more painful and unpleasant death for bigger animals and is considered inhumane by many.
As an alternative solution to the rabbit problem, locals tried important stoats and ferrets to eat the rabbits since they are a natural predator. This had its own difficulties but was successful overall. That is, until the rabbits were no longer a problem and the stoats posed a new threat. Stoats then started to eat many of the flightless birds native to New Zealand, posing another ecological threat.
Today, locals scratch their heads as they try to think of the best way to eliminate pests while maintaining the native wildlife and trying to help the native birds thrive. Trapping and hunting animals is one of the most popular methods currently and is used through Deep Cove. Unfortunately, of the 250 traps set up, 60-80 might be set off each month which is nowhere near enough to control the animals in the region.
Photos / Sounds
What
Mountain Ribbonwood (Hoheria glabrata)Observer
ecahillDescription
Ribbonwood, or Manatu, is endemic to New Zealand. Today, en route to Mueller Hut on Mt. Cook, we came across Ribbonwood often, but only on the lower levels of elevation. According to teara.govt.nz, these trees can grow up to 17 meters tall, although the trees we encountered seemed short and slim, just old enough to have outgrown their juvenile form. This deciduous woody plant is unlike others native to New Zealand because most tend not to shed their leaves and flowers annually.
This tree grows reddish brown branch which inside has a fiber similar to Flax and is sometimes consider ‘New Zealand Cotton’. The shape of the leaves varies quite a bit, some being shaped just like an evergreen air freshener (with double-toothed ridges) while others are instead much narrower. The leaves are soft, but wilt quickly after being taken from the tree, as I learned on the way back to our hostel to get to the plant press. Additionally, although we did not encounter any berries or flowers, this tree yields fruit and yellow flowers (according terrin.net.nz)
Photos / Sounds
What
Grasses (Family Poaceae)Observer
ecahillDescription
The Banks Peninsula on the east side of New Zealand's South Island is a beautiful spot to observe some of the geological changes over millions of years or volcanic activity. Because of the subduction of the Australian Tectonic plate under the Pacific plate, a mountain range is created on the west side of the island, and the plates, melting under the Earth's surface, create volcanoes 100 or so miles into the plate on top. Today, there are two harbors at the banks peninsula: Akaroa and Lyttelton. These harbors come from the erosion of craters from two volcanoes that are no longer active. The first was the Lyttelton Volcano over 10 million years ago, which was there until the west side began eroding. The east side was supported by smaller eruptions from mount Herbert, or Ta Ahu Patiki, which is just east of Akaroa. Eventually, another volcano was formed, Akaroa, which was centered over the crater we see today, which was active along with Mount Herbert until over 6 million years ago. With inactivity, the east side of the crater eroded and opened up to the Pacific Ocean. Today, our class hiked up to get these shots of the peninsula, identifying as many of the local plants that we could. Many of the plants found on this trail are endemic and native to New Zealand because of the country's separation from other continents. In the photos, most visible are the grasses, but we found totara, pittosporum and hebe in addition to many other plants. This information was found in the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch on January 6, 2017.
