Christmas Mistletoe

Mistletoe flowers and leaves shone bright on Christmas Day at Black Gully Reserve, Tapanui. West Otago, New Zealand. 25 Dec 2021.

Berry Nice

Astelia berries. You've recently seen our photos of native astelias alongside ferns in the bush but the female plants' beautiful flowers become a bountiful crop of berries and they're beginning to ripen now. New Zealand. Click on any photo to enlarge. I saw these berries within an astelia at Dunsdale Reserve, Southland on 05 Jan....

Nature Details

When we take a nature walk there's so much to see although you have to keep your eyes peeled and look around with a sense of anticipation and expectation. Seek and ye shall find! Today's photos all taken by Nigel when we visited Dunsdale Reserve, Southland, New Zealand on 05 Jan 2022. Click on any...

Button Fern

Cute fern native to New Zealand and deserving of its own post, Pellaea rotundifolia. [Hasty update: or is it Cranfillia fluviatilis, syn. Blechnum fluviatile?]. Beautiful to find this growing in the bush! We found it on our walk in Dunsdale Reserve on 05 January, 2022. Southland, New Zealand. Click on any photo to enlarge. ~...

Look into the Bush

When we visited Dunsdale Reserve yesterday there were many ferns and mosses along the way, edging the path, edging the stream, and growing as ground cover on the forest floor. Very pretty, even on a dull day. Hokonui Forest, Southland, New Zealand. ~ photos by me, except for the last lovely pic taken by Nigel...

Liriodendron

The tulip tree is gorgeous and commonly seen down here in the south of New Zealand. I assume these in my photos are the North American species L. tulipifera. The leaves are distinctively shaped and the flowers are very pretty but easily missed. The first three photos are of a particular tree at Monte Christo...

Frondly Ghosts

Crown ferns and new growth, looking a little ghostly Christmas morning, sunshine yet to filter through. Black Gully Reserve, Tapanui, West Otago. New Zealand.

Green Leaves, Blue Sky

Lying on my back on a grassy slope, and looking up and behind, I spied these fresh green leaves against a perfect cloudless blue sky. Boxing Day morning was one to remember, a perfect summer morning. Photos taken at Black Gully Domain, Tapanui, West Otago, New Zealand. The next photo is a small crop from...

Glistening Green

I was stunned to see this photo appear in my twitter feed recently, a Glistening-Green Tanager in the rain photographed in Ecuador Cloud Forest. I don't recall seeing photos of this bird before and I was amazed by the vibrant green plumage ~and it looks so beautiful sitting on the mossy branch in the rain!...

Green Seen

Took these photos at our local Black Gully Reserve on 23 May 2021, green things were looking very pretty that day. The last photo is of rocks in the path that I took a fancy to .. because I think they look like butterfly wings! Tapanui, West Otago, New Zealand. FYI, we don't escape American...

Lemon and Lime

Lovely foliage in citrus colours from further up our street in Tapanui. We were driving back into town from a trip to Roxburgh on 17 April and these colours were so beautiful I asked Nigel to drop me off so I could catch some pre-sunset colour. I took these and a bunch of shots of...

Characters in Tapanui

From a neighbourhood stroll this evening. Tapanui, West Otago, Aotearoa New Zealand. Frog letterbox, Tapanui School. Māori gateway, Tapanui School. "Together We Learn And Grow" Cutest-ever decorative cat, private property entrance.