Mahuru Springs

Living the high life - Spider in the tree.

Blue

Primo camo!

A pair of kaka flew over this morning around half eight. Nice to see. 😃

Invasive alligator w**d found here by biocontrol today. 😭

https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/services/plant-and-animal-pests/alligator-w**d/

All in a day. Wowee.

The autumn rain has brought out the fruiting bodies of the fungi. Must be time for a meander under the trees and a night walk with the UV light again...

It's bat appreciation day. 🥰

https://www.facebook.com/share/dc21BxTHzwFbgj4M/?mibextid=xfxF2i

Today (in New Zealand) is International !

We have a lot to be grateful for when it comes to our native bats. From insect control to native plant pollination and more!

The image below from one of the very creative kids who came along to our successful Bat Fun Day (post to come soon), highlights it extremely well.
At the end of the day, we've just got to save the bats!

Kai time for ngā tuna. Some new faces tonight including some stunning blue fins.

Tūī a tane sharing a massive kōrero this evening in the maple tree. Ataahua!😍

Taiea te Taiao Taonga species of the week:

Did you know, that a top Pironiga te aroaro o Kāhu exists a flower of the underworld?

Dactylanthus taylorii, known in Te Reo Māori as te pua o te Rēinga ("flower of the underworld"), is a fully parasitic flowering plant, the only one endemic to Aotearoa, New Zealand. The host tree responds to the presence of te pua o te Rēinga by forming a structure that resembles a fluted rose, hence the common English name of wood rose. When the flowers emerge on the forest floor, they are pollinated by a ground-foraging species of Pekapeka (New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat).

Te pua o te Rēinga is currently regarded as being Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable and is a priority threatened species for the Department of Conservation.

Image: Pekapeka/short-tailed bat feeding on Pua o te Reinga/Dactylanthus. Photo: David Mudge/Nga Manu.

A few photos to record the quickly changing awa space as rākau that block the flow during flood season are removed. Great work by Kevin and Phil.

When you discover the old burn pile is giving you a parsnip harvest free of mahi. Lucky!

🌿 When we talk about “leave the leaves” what does that do? 🌱Each community paves the way for the next to thrive, creating a chain reaction of habitat adaptation. 🦠🍃 Leaf litter and humus layer boost sandy soil regeneration. Consider this when planning your landscaping.

This wee kootare, a very sacred manu, was brought in by our cat, unable to fly but very much strong and well within itself. It has since been rehabilitated and released somewhere cats are unlikely to get it again and where there is already a thriving kootare population.

I was very upset not to be able to bring it back here for release however am grateful to the rehab team for their work in getting it back to full health and owe an apology to them for being so adamant it should come back to the whenua here when it is against their protocol. Sunnyhills Bird Rescue

27 years - whooo!

Phil, Alli, Whistle the Fergie and a whole bunch of willow logs from the river. Big job!

https://www.facebook.com/100006843121380/posts/3649113218660080/?

Thought these were all pine needles but turns out most are aerial roots on this wee pohutukawa.

Something I personally wasn't aware of..."the enthusiastic root systems that give it the ability to cling to sheer cliffs also have the power to crack through pipes and concrete." https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/pohutukawa-well-anchored

Which ones can you identify?

Late summer evenings. 🥰