A blog post by Emma Sundews (Genus: Drosera) The name ‘Drosera‘ comes from the Greek ‘drosos‘ meaning ‘dew’ or ‘dewdrops’. They are one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants in the world. Like all members of their family (Droseraceae), they lure, capture, and digest insects using a thick, gluey substance called mucilage which they have on stalks covering their leaves….
Category: New Zealand
Lockdown Wētā Hotels
During the time between these two lockdowns, our hotels have been gaining more and more residents. The uptake was slow at first whilst the word was getting out there, but now they have many regular patrons.
Meeting the Mōhua
We heard the mōhua before we saw them. Like our experiences with their cousins, they were most often spotted high above us in the trees peering down and chattering to one another.
Kākāpō: New Zealand’s Flightless “Owl” Parrot
A blog post by Emma For two weeks over the New Zealand 2018/2019 summer, Tom and I volunteered with kākāpō on Whenua Hou Island. You can read about the trip and some of the other species we encountered in our blog post, here. Whilst we were on the island, we were extremely lucky to have…
Volunteering with Kākāpō on Whenua Hou Island
A blog post by Emma Parenthood, work and life have been keeping us very busy. So much so that it has taken a pandemic and a countrywide lockdown to get Tom and I back in front of the computer again! We hope that everyone is keeping safe. We are well, but it looks like we’ll…
Taiaroa Head and the Northern Royal Albatross
In November last year, on our way down the South Island, New Zealand, we stopped at Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve. Taiaroa Head/Pukekura is especially known for its northern royal albatross colony, the only mainland colony of albatross in the Southern Hemisphere. Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve is located at the end of…
Long Time, No See!
A blog post by Emma We thought it was about time to say ‘hello’ again after not being around for the best part of a year. A lot has happened whilst we’ve been away, and we’d like to share some of these exciting events with you. Since our last post, we’ve made our annual migration…
One Night at Mahakirau Forest Estate
Three Archey’s frogs, five Hochstetter’s frogs, three Coromandel striped geckos, and one forest gecko… all seen in less than a 24 hour period! Whenever we visit Sara and Ro out at Mahakirau Forest Estate, we are always spoilt with wildlife encounters.
The Entomological Society of New Zealand’s Photo Competition: ‘Wonder of the Insect World’
Tom and I recently entered a photography competition put on by the Entomological Society of New Zealand. A family friend of ours, knowing our love for wildlife photography, saw it advertised in the local paper and gave us the article. It was only a couple of days before the closing date, so we both chose two…
The Real Shelob – A Freshly Moulted Tunnelweb Spider
Our Encounter Whilst out on bird counts in Pohangina (Manawatu, New Zealand), Emma and I stumbled across a dead tree which was still standing. Being curious ecologists, we peeled back a large piece of bark. Behind the bark was this wonderful tunnelweb spider. Click to zoom in It had just moulted, displaying its cream cephalothorax…
The Silver Orb Spider (Leucauge dromedaria)
Click to zoom in Much like our previous spider post, the spider under the spotlight today (Leucauge dromedaria) is an Australian import that we found on one of our bush walks here in New Zealand. Its common names are ‘Horizontal Orbweb Spider’, ‘Silver Orb Spider’ and ‘Humped Silver Orb Spider’. The first described specimen was misidentified…
Move Over Lucas – Meet the Polkadot Jumping Spider
My Great Uncle, Peter, kindly gifted me a new flash unit as a Christmas present. Despite being desperate to use it, we have been so busy with fieldwork and house renovations that now, several months later, I have only just managed to have my first real play. Meeting the Polkadot Jumping Spider During some downtime…