TRIP REPORT : Strathmore revelations

 5 October 2002 :   Strathmore revelations

I was most dubious about whether this trip would go ahead – the weather forecast was for rain – but fortunately on the Saturday morning we woke to a brilliant fine day.   I told the group how Gary James and I, both Wellington Forest and Bird Home Nursery Group members, first looked for matagouri, Discaria toumatou, in May 2001, but with no luck.   Then John Sawyer from DOC sent us more detailed directions on its location, and in June 2001 we finally found three plants, and in September 2002, Barry Dent found nine more.   During this field trip, I found two more plants, bringing the total to 14.

Our team worked hard cutting back weeds from around the matagouri, and also chopped down many boneseed plants.   We saw Melicytus crassifolius, Pimelea prostrata, and Leucopogon fraseri.   The scent from the flowers of the Leucopogon fraseri was just adorable.   We also saw our share of adventive plants.   We measured the locations of the 14 matagouri.   It will be interesting to go back in a year’s time and see if they are still there.

Participants: Rae Collins, Gavin Dench, Jenny Dolton, Sarah and Barney Gunn, Dave Holey, Chris Hopkins, Chris Horne, Gordon Leary, Sheelagh Leary, Janet McCallum, Sarah and Rohan McRae, Cath Mathews, Barbara Mitcalfe, Sunita Singh, Patricia Tankersley, Nancy Watters, Julia White (leader)

Julia White