#Tag · bonfire.cafe

I spent yesterday at Travis Wetland, Ōruapaeroa, which is a large wetland restoration site in eastern Ōtautahi-Christchurch, NZ. One of my MSc students, Tommy, is embarking on an invertebrate survey of the wetland, and we spent the day setting up Malaise traps (to catching flying insects) and pitfall traps (to catch invertebrates on the ground).

Tommy is repeating a survey done back in 1995–1996, when the wetland (then mostly wet farmland) was being purchased from a housing developer by the City Council.

We expect a lot to have changed (hopefully mostly for the better) as the vegetation of the wetland is much more diverse and native than it was.

Stay tuned over the summer for insect discoveries.

#entomology #wetland #restoration #InsectSurvey #insects #nz #LincolnUniversityNZ #research

A photo of Lincoln University summer scholar Max going the extra muddy mile helping set up an invertebrate monitoring project at Travis Wetland. The mud is up to his waste, and he's smiling.

My full-res photo is on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/54945126155/ — A photo of Lincoln University summer scholar Max going the extra muddy mile helping set up an invertebrate monitoring project at Travis Wetland. The mud is up to his waste, and he's smiling. My full-res photo is on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/54945126155/

A photo of Tommy, smiling, as he wades through the wetland towards one of our sampling sites, where we set up a variety of invertebrate traps.

My full-res photo is on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/54943934457/ — A photo of Tommy, smiling, as he wades through the wetland towards one of our sampling sites, where we set up a variety of invertebrate traps. My full-res photo is on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/54943934457/

Tommy (left) is doing his Lincoln University Masters research this summer repeating a 1995–1996 invertebrate survey of Travis Wetland, to see how the invertebrate community has changed. Here Tommy and Max are putting in one of a series of Malaise traps to sample flying invertebrates. Malaise traps look like open sided tents. Insects fly in, hit the middle barrier mesh, then fly up to get caught in a cup at the top.

My full-res photo is on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/54945126160 — Tommy (left) is doing his Lincoln University Masters research this summer repeating a 1995–1996 invertebrate survey of Travis Wetland, to see how the invertebrate community has changed. Here Tommy and Max are putting in one of a series of Malaise traps to sample flying invertebrates. Malaise traps look like open sided tents. Insects fly in, hit the middle barrier mesh, then fly up to get caught in a cup at the top. My full-res photo is on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/54945126160

A photo of Tommy (left) and Max (right) digging in one of a series of pitfall traps to sample ground dwelling invertebrates. Tommy is doing his Lincoln University Masters research this summer repeating a 1995–1996 invertebrate survey of Travis Wetland, to see how the invertebrate community has changed.

My full-res photo is on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/54943934477/ — A photo of Tommy (left) and Max (right) digging in one of a series of pitfall traps to sample ground dwelling invertebrates. Tommy is doing his Lincoln University Masters research this summer repeating a 1995–1996 invertebrate survey of Travis Wetland, to see how the invertebrate community has changed. My full-res photo is on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/54943934477/

Jon Sullivan

@joncounts@mastodon.nz replied · 2 weeks ago

Travis Wetland is a large urban wetland nature reserve. That means it's surrounded by people and their gardens on all sides, so it gets a constant inflow of pests (and pet cats) and weeds.

While working at the wetland yesterday, we found (and pulled out) the first records from the wetland of evergreen buckthorn and raphiolepis. Both are emergent woody weeds that are shade tolerant and make bird dispersed fleshy fruits. They're both still planted in gardens.

If you live near some wild native habitat, keep an eye out for new exotic plants establishing.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/328034270

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/328034276

#weeds #wetland #nz #Christchurch #BiologicalInvasions #iNaturalistNZ

Angela Antunovic boosted

Jon Sullivan

@joncounts@mastodon.nz · 3 months ago

Here's a new weed to watch out for in NZ: long-flowered Veldt grass, Ehrharta longiflora.

I found one in flower yesterday. It's an annual relative of the now widespread perennial Veldt grass, Ehrharta erecta, which the NZ Plant Conservation several years ago voted the worst environmental weed in NZ. That's because it chokes out semi-shaded areas in bush where a lot of native herbaceous plants like to grow.

Long-flowered Veldt grass may not be as bad, since it's a fast-growing Spring annual, but still, do we want to take that risk?

At the moment the only place in all of the South Island that it's known is around the base of Hackthorne Road in Christchurch. Some effort has been made to contain it but the main property that it's on doesn't want the council on her land so it keeps spreading here.

If you find it anywhere else, that's important. Note the distinctive pinkish bracts on the flowers.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/310728311

#weeds #InvasivePlants #Biosecurity #NZ #botany #Poaceae #grasses

A screenshot from iNaturalist of the current distribution of long-flowered Veldt grass in New Zealand. It's only at one small site in Christchurch city in the South Island and a small area in Whanganui in the North Island. This is how weeds get started.

A photo I took yesterday of long-flowered Veldt grass in flower. The flowers are long and thin and green with pink bracts.

For a full-res version of this, go to https://inaturalist.nz/observations/310728311 — A photo I took yesterday of long-flowered Veldt grass in flower. The flowers are long and thin and green with pink bracts. For a full-res version of this, go to https://inaturalist.nz/observations/310728311

Jon Sullivan

@joncounts@mastodon.nz · 3 months ago

Here's a new weed to watch out for in NZ: long-flowered Veldt grass, Ehrharta longiflora.

Long-flowered Veldt grass may not be as bad, since it's a fast-growing Spring annual, but still, do we want to take that risk?

If you find it anywhere else, that's important. Note the distinctive pinkish bracts on the flowers.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/310728311

#weeds #InvasivePlants #Biosecurity #NZ #botany #Poaceae #grasses

Eliot B boosted

Jon Sullivan

@joncounts@mastodon.nz · 4 months ago

Here are a couple of vine weeds to watch out for at the moment that are still uncommon but actively spreading around Ōtautahi-Christchurch, New Zealand.

What's commonly known as German Ivy (Delairea odorata) is a fast growing vine from, well, not anywhere close to Germany. It's a native to southern Africa. It's been establishing in parts of the Port Hills and I saw the first one in Halswell last week. Its leaves are thinner than English ivy and it has yellow flowers.
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/306208256

Chilean glory creeper (Eccremocarpus scaber) is an orange-flowered vine that's been popping up in and around the city. Every year I see a few more plants.
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/306208250

Weedbusters has fact sheets on these, including recommendations on how to get rid of them.
https://www.weedbusters.org.nz/what-are-weeds/weed-list/german-ivy/
https://www.weedbusters.org.nz/what-are-weeds/weed-list/chilean-glory-creeper/

Please report sightings on #iNaturalist if you find them.

#nz #weeds #InvasivePlants #InvasiveSpecies #iNaturalistNZ

A close up of the distinctive orange tubular flowers of Chilean glorycreeper. Watch out for it as it's flowering at the moment.

For more details on my photo here, see https://inaturalist.nz/observations/29597454 — A close up of the distinctive orange tubular flowers of Chilean glorycreeper. Watch out for it as it's flowering at the moment. For more details on my photo here, see https://inaturalist.nz/observations/29597454

A photo of a green-leaved vine growing up the side of a macrocarpa shelterbelt by a small farm shelter. This is a Chilean glorycreeper. It's likely escaped from a nearby farm house garden.

For more details, see https://inaturalist.nz/observations/306208250 — A photo of a green-leaved vine growing up the side of a macrocarpa shelterbelt by a small farm shelter. This is a Chilean glorycreeper. It's likely escaped from a nearby farm house garden. For more details, see https://inaturalist.nz/observations/306208250

A photo of a young German ivy plant growing up some branches of a currently leafless tree. I found this in the front of a garden along Halswell Road, and it's the first record of this weed on iNaturalist from this suburb.

For more details see https://inaturalist.nz/observations/306208256 — A photo of a young German ivy plant growing up some branches of a currently leafless tree. I found this in the front of a garden along Halswell Road, and it's the first record of this weed on iNaturalist from this suburb. For more details see https://inaturalist.nz/observations/306208256

A photo of a mass of German Ivy smothering the vegetation. The vine is covered in yellow flowers, from which it makes wind-dispersed seeds.

I took this photo in Cracroft Reserve behind Princess Margaret Hospital.

For details see https://inaturalist.nz/observations/3585878 — A photo of a mass of German Ivy smothering the vegetation. The vine is covered in yellow flowers, from which it makes wind-dispersed seeds. I took this photo in Cracroft Reserve behind Princess Margaret Hospital. For details see https://inaturalist.nz/observations/3585878

Jon Sullivan

@joncounts@mastodon.nz · 4 months ago

Here are a couple of vine weeds to watch out for at the moment that are still uncommon but actively spreading around Ōtautahi-Christchurch, New Zealand.

Please report sightings on #iNaturalist if you find them.

#nz #weeds #InvasivePlants #InvasiveSpecies #iNaturalistNZ