Latest news with #Celmisia
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Regeneration reaches new heights
Orokonui's rare plants garden in 2010. PHOTO: ODT FILES Tracking change at Orokonui Ecosanctuary goes in leaps and strides, writes Madison Kelly. For a project with a 1000-year plan, reaching milestones can be a waiting game. Eye-catching outcomes like gangs of kākā in flight, or a casually roaming whānau of takahē are obvious even to first-time visitors to Orokonui. Other developments take their time, building slowly until, suddenly, change can't be ignored. The sanctuary's re-planted zones are one such gauge of progress, measured in careful proliferations of leaves, branches, roots — and a whole lot of human effort. Comparing photos of the rare plants garden from its first planting in 2010 to the present day, an immense story unfolds. Introduced as a bespoke site for threatened plant species to grow, safe from browsing mammals, the garden is found just inside the fenceline along the Kākā Track. Along a gentle loop, visitors can find examples of uncommon plants, such as east coast mountain daisies Celmisia hookeri, or spiny perfumed taramea, Aciphylla ferox. Many plantings represent species rare in the wild, such as the fierce lancewood Pseudopanax ferox, or intricately branching Olearia fragrantissima. The garden's plot and tracks were established with the help of volunteer Graeme Cook. A suite of volunteers and sanctuary staff supported the garden's early growth with sourcing, growing and planting treasured species. At its initiation, dedicating a site to plant advocacy and seeing those first sweeping blooms of Celmisia was a landmark achievement. Nowadays, new planting milestones are occurring throughout the valley. Further along the Kākā Track, just before the first feeding station, regenerating habitat is beginning to converge. Once separated in their youth by wide gravel tracks, trees dispersed from early sanctuary plantings are finally forming the early hint of a canopy. Guiding groups along regenerating sections of the Kākā Track in 2025 yields wildly different results compared to even five years ago. What were once exposed trails are now rich tapestries of light and shadow, harbouring an understorey attractive enough for foraging kakaruai/robins. Orokonui's rare plants garden in 2024. PHOTO: ODT FILES As regeneration (literally) reaches new heights, sanctuary mahi leans on vital tasks like weeding and track maintenance. Regular volunteer groups such as the Eastern boundary "Gorse Assassins'' tackle invasive species making a home in the valley, and kaimahi of the Pā Harakeke keep plants in the living archive safe. With each season of habitat growth, track maintenance becomes more necessary for both public experience and conservation operations. Clearing track boundaries or crowded understoreys creates safe passage and sightlines for visitors. Away from public areas, more than 60km of narrow monitoring trails also need to be carved out and maintained. Monitoring tracks are integral lifelines for Orokonui's operational work. More than a thousand tracking tunnels and hundreds of traps are situated along these tracks, ready to be deployed in the case of incursion. At least twice a year, the same tracks become causeways for skilled conservation dogs and their handlers undertaking biosecurity audits to ensure the sanctuary is still predator free. Recently, months of collective surveying along monitoring paths have helped us record and understand the distribution of South Island tīeke, a taoka species still in the early crucial stages of translocation. It may be surprising to learn that such an essential part of the sanctuary is currently being maintained by just a few staff and volunteers. This dedicated cohort is never short of jobs — vegetation cutting, gravelling, clearing windfall, raking leaf buildup, sweeping structures and signs, digging out culverts and water tables. While much of the mahi happens away from the public eye on the sanctuary's "closed'' days, the demand is constant. In this new era beyond active planting, towards a self-dispersing ecosystem, caring for our most utilised yet underrated track systems is a must. A new season of life and work in the sanctuary is afoot, with the need for a dedicated track team growing almost as fast as the grasslands! If you're interested in helping us clear the paths ahead, contact volunteer@ Madison Kelly is head kaiārahi/guide at Te Korowai o Mihiwaka Orokonui Ecosanctuary.
Scoop
20-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Bringing Two Critically Endangered Native Plants Back From The Brink
Press Release – Hutt City Council Council has undertaken propagation work at Percy Scenic Reserve to help Myosotis petiolata and Celmisia aff. gracilenta Mangaweka not only survive but thrive. Hutt City Council is playing a key role in bringing two of Aotearoa's rarest native plant species back from the brink of extinction. Council has undertaken propagation work at Percy Scenic Reserve to help Myosotis petiolata and Celmisia aff. gracilenta 'Mangaweka' not only survive but thrive. The leafy, white-flowered Myosotis petiolata – a native forget-me-not – once flourished in the limestone-rich soils of Hawke's Bay. But it has dwindled to near-extinction. Thanks to a collaboration with Downer Greenspace, Council is helping make a small miracle unfold. Last year, staff at Percy's propagated 60 plants, and a further 440 cuttings are just beginning to root, each one a tiny green shoot of hope. Downer's Percy Scenic Reserve-based horticulturalist, Cliff Keilty, says the forget-me-not is easy enough to grow but can be tricky to keep healthy. 'They're prone to fungal disease and need specific conditions. We mimic their natural limestone habitat by adding lime to their pots-it seems to make them happy.' To come off the endangered list, at least 2000 established, flowering plants need to be growing in the wild in Hawke's Bay. Hutt City Council aims to contribute by propagating around 500 more plants each year for the next four years which will eventually be planted in Hawke's Bay. Alongside the forget-me-not, native daisy Celmisia aff. gracilenta 'Mangaweka' is also making a tentative return from extinction in the wild. The last known specimens of this distinctive and delicate alpine plant were saved by the Department of Conservation around 1999. Staff at Percy Scenic Reserve and Wellington City Council's Ōtari-Wilton's Bush are working to propagate this plant which is functionally extinct in the wild. They divided these into multiple smaller plants to reduce the risk of losing one individual plant. Only two genetically distinct parent plants remain in ex-situ collections, and one plant is known in the wild. Hutt City Council Neighbourhoods and Communities Director Andrea Blackshaw says the Rautaki Kanorau Koiora Taketake Indigenous Biodiversity Strategy 2023 provides a focus for this sort of work. 'Council is motivated to safeguard ecosystems, species, and habitats so they can be treasured for future generations. Helping save these two endangered plants is a part of that valuable work.' Downer Greenspace Contract Manager Justin Arthur says the collaborative efforts of Downer Greenspace, Hutt City Council, and Wellington City Council are a testament to what can be achieved when organisations work together for the greater good of our environment. 'This initiative highlights the value of long-term partnerships. By combining resources and expertise, we're making a tangible impact – one that benefits communities and ecosystems alike. 'The Hutt City community can be proud to know the important role their council is playing in the conservation of our nationally critical and endangered plant species.'
