Uploads from Steve Attwood, tagged red

Nikau Palm - ripe berries/fruit - Point Elizabeth Greymouth

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:38:57 -0700

The Point Elizabeth Track just north of Greymouth is generally regarded as the southern most point on New Zealand's West Coast for Nikau palm to grow abundantly. Further south it is too cold and the soil types don't suit.

Nikau Palm – Rhopalostylis sapida
Rhopalostylis is a genus of two species of palms native to the South Pacific. Both are smooth-trunked, with regular ringed scars from fallen leaves. The leaves are 3-5 metres in length, and the leaf bases encircle the trunk.
The Nikau Palm, is the only palm native to mainland New Zealand, and is found in lowland forests on the North Island, in coastal areas of the South Island as far south as Banks Peninsula in the east and Greymouth in the west, and on the Chatham Islands at 44 degrees south. R. sapida thus has the southernmost range of any palm genus.

Rata vine - Metrosideros fulgens

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:38:58 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

An autumn and winterflowering vine that brings a splash of colour to the New Zealand temperate rainforest

Lichen - Cladonia floerkeana ?

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:39:01 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

I am not 100% sure of this identification so comments appreciated.

Rata vine - metrosideros fulgens

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:04:58 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

This photo shows a good example of how Rata vine climb to the light and spread across the canopy to show their vivid red/orange blooms to the autumn and winter sun.

Red jewels of the forest floor - Nertera sp.

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:04:58 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

One of my favourite plants of the New Zealand forest, Netera's little globes of vivid red shine out like jewels in the green carpet floor.

IMG_5454

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:05:13 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

Rata vine: metrosideros fulgens is a forest vine endemic to New Zealand. It occurs in coastal and lowland forest throughout the North Island and on the west coast of the South Island. It is one of a number of New Zealand Metrosideros species which live out their lives as vines, unlike the northern rata ( M.robusta), which generally begins as a hemi-epiphyte and grows into a huge tree. Scarlet rātā vine is one of the better known species of rātā vines, because it flowers in autumn or winter, and is often highly visible on well-lit host trees along forest roads, with vibrant displays of large red flowers (sometimes orange or yellow) that rise above the forest canopy.
Metrosideros fulgens prefers warm moist habitats and grows up to 10 m. long or more, with the main stem up to 10 cm. or more in diameter. It climbs in the same way as ivy, sending out short adventitious roots to adhere to the trunks of host trees, penetrating and clinging to rough surfaces. The climbing shoots of juvenile plants are designed to grow rapidly and extend the length of the plant. The short clinging roots usually die after about a year, so that when the vine is mature, the thick, twisted, rope-like stems hang free from the host like thick, sometimes twisted ropes, with red-brown flaky bark. The leaves are mostly rounded at the tip. Flowering is from autumn to spring, with seed capsules taking about a year to ripen.
An important autumn and winter food for nectar eating birds this vine (and therefore the birds that feed off its flowers) has been threatened by introduced Australian brushtail possom which find it highly palatable and will revisit a vine repeatedly to eat off new foliage until it is exhausted and dies.
Early bushmen would cut a slit into the wood of this vine to collect a refreshing thirst quenching juice said to taste like dry cider. The sap was used on wounds, for coughs and eye troubles and the inner bark to heal sores and stop bleeding.
White flowered forms M. perforata and M. albiflora are even more rare because of possum predation.

Aka - scarlet rata vine - Metrosideros fulgens

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 03:53:46 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

a forest vine endemic to New Zealand. It occurs in coastal and lowland forest throughout the North Island and on the west coast of the South Island. It is one of a number of New Zealand Metrosideros species which live out their lives as vines, unlike the northern rata ( M.robusta), which generally begins as a hemi-epiphyte and grows into a huge tree. Scarlet rātā vine is one of the better known species of rātā vines, because it flowers in autumn or winter, and is often highly visible on well-lit host trees along forest roads, with vibrant displays of large red flowers (sometimes orange or yellow) that rise above the forest canopy.
Metrosideros fulgens prefers warm moist habitats and grows up to 10 m. long or more, with the main stem up to 10 cm. or more in diameter. It climbs in the same way as ivy, sending out short adventitious roots to adhere to the trunks of host trees, penetrating and clinging to rough surfaces. The climbing shoots of juvenile plants are designed to grow rapidly and extend the length of the plant. The short clinging roots usually die after about a year, so that when the vine is mature, the thick, twisted, rope-like stems hang free from the host like thick, sometimes twisted ropes, with red-brown flaky bark. The leaves are mostly rounded at the tip. Flowering is from autumn to spring, with seed capsules taking about a year to ripen.
An important autumn and winter food for nectar eating birds this vine (and therefore the birds that feed off its flowers) has been threatened by introduced Australian brushtail possom which find it highly palatable and will revisit a vine repeatedly to eat off new foliage until it is exhausted and dies.
Early bushmen would cut a slit into the wood of this vine to collect a refreshing thirst quenching juice said to taste like dry cider. The sap was used on wounds, for coughs and eye troubles and the inner bark to heal sores and stop bleeding.
White flowered forms M. perforata and M. albiflora are even more rare because of possum predation.

Horopito – pepper tree – Pseudowintera colorata

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 03:53:41 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

One of the distinctive shrubs/small trees of the New Zealand native bush, noted for both the splotchy red patterns and peperry taste of the leaves. Often found along forest margins in areas of reasonable soil fertility. The leaves of both trees have a distinctive peppery taste, generally stronger to actually chilli hot in P.axillaris but not always. Plants side-by-side can have different heat intensities.
P. axillaris is generally regarded as the most valuable medicinally and, in recent times, for culinary purposes, its heat and peppery taste used as a condiment in distinct New Zealand cuisine including tea.
P. colorata is generally not as well regarded medicinally but is the more popular for garden use as it tends to have more highly coloured leaves.
Horopito is often called Maori painkiller, a reference to its use in pre and post European colonisation times to the medicinal properties of the leaves and bark. The leaves were chewed to alleviate toothache and as a cure for diarhoea, stomach ache and some skin diseases. Early settlers used it as a substitute for quinine to reduce pain and fever. Crowe (Which Native Fortest Plant) says there are 29 components of essential oil identified in horopito including a dental painkiller (analgesic) called eugenol and an antibiotic and anti fungal called polygodial.

Aka - scarlet rata vine - Metrosideros fulgens

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 03:53:47 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

snow-snapped

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 03:53:48 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

a young beech tree succumbs to the weight of winter snow

Half 'n half - natural patterns series

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:42:24 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

A rata beach log, showing the weathered outside and the exposed inner red wood from being recently split.

Harakeke base - Natural patterns series

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:42:24 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

The base of the harakeke (New Zealand flax - Phormium tenax)

Half revealed - Natural patterns series

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:42:22 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

A weathered log of rata on the shore of Greymouth beach, showing thre silvery weathered exterior and revealed red heartwood

A wooden sunset - Natural patterns series

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:42:22 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

the firey red of a sawn rata log gives the impression of clouds at sunset

Natural colours

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:47:06 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

detail of autumn bark on a eucalypt (gum) tree

Magnificent rooster

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:44:22 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

As a lad visiting the country A&P shows I was always fascinated by the poultry competitions, especially the roosters. The old guys (they always seemed to be old) would talk about tips like rubbing whisky into their combs to flush the blood to the surface to make them especially red and tricks for getting fowl droppings out of their feathers.
The roosters seemed to have a great sense of pride and knew they were on show.
This shot was not taken at a show but when I spotted this proud bird on a farmyard fence, it so reminded me of those proud old guys and their faultless birds.

Magnificent rooster

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:44:21 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

Magnificent rooster

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:47:33 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

Magnificent rooster

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:47:33 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo:

Magnificent rooster

nobody@flickr.com (Steve Attwood) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:44:23 -0700

Steve Attwood posted a photo: