#cabbage tree

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#2262 - Epiphryne verriculata - Cabbage Tree Moth

AKA Cidaria verriculata,Panopoea verriculata, Pancyma verriculata, and Venusia verriculata.

A Geometrid endemic to New Zealand, where the caterpillars feed on the living leaves of the iconic Cabbage Trees (Cordyline australis), and the adults conceal themselves against the dead ones.

Photo by Dan Klutha on Wiki.

Taupo, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

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These are some of the photos I took this morning, when we unexpectedly woke up to sun, snow and ice, truly a winter wonderland. We were staying at my boyfriend’s parents’ house and their small garden was bathed in such a beautiful warm yellow light.  

The purple flowers are Erysimum linifolium ‘Bowles’ Mauve’, the wallflower, a favourite of my boyfriend’s mum especially because she says in October it attracts lots of butterflies. She has a video on her phone she’s shown me of her and our niece surrounded by the flowers and dozens of very docile butterflies, I need to ask her to send it to me! The bushy plant is Fargesia murielae, the umbrella bamboo from central China, while the monocot-looking one with yellow stripes is Cordyline australis, the cabbage tree from New Zealand. The tree-tops against the blue sky belong to the native Crataegus monogyna, the common hawthorn.     

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Kaikoura Peninsula

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The 'Monowai', which sailed under that name from 1930-1960, was used as a transport during World War Two, but in peacetime was a popular passenger ship, on which a delightful social time could be had. To say one had travelled on the ship merited a certain status! You can see a picture of the interior décor of this ship as it was in 1948 after a post-war refit here . That refit allowed her to carry 179 first class and 205 tourist class passengers, in light and airy cabins suitable for travel through the tropics. But by the end of her sailing life in the 1950s, voyages were mainly trans-Tasman.

Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand :Union Line. T.S.S. "Monowai", commander Captain F W Young. Luncheon. At sea, Wednesday, 15th February 1956. Cabin class.

Eph-A-SHIP-1956-02

[drhoz]

The Great ACT-NSW-NZ Trip, 2023-2024 - Down the Taranaki Coastline

Heading south, en route to Wellington and hence the South Island. We stopped and stayed at a few places on the way, including Cape Egmont to see the lighthouse and beach, and Ōpunake because I wanted a look at the bay, cliffs, and beach.

Quite a lot of the area we were driving through was covered in small conical hills - that's because it's all volcanic landslide debris from Taranaki, 20km away.

The cliffs at Ōpunake and the rocky beaches along the rest of the coastline are more evidence of the violent geology.

The boulders in the layers still in the cliff are fridge sized.

Most of the land had been cleared of native vegetation for agriculture, but there were still a few local species around. And extensive burrows by Tiger Beetle larvae in the sand and volcanic ash deposits. Here's a few I've already covered elsewhere.