Auckland is getting greener by the day as the sun stays out longer and the vegetation starts growing in earnest. Our neighborhood streets have been lines with flowering trees for the last few weeks, so I went to the Auckland botanic garden last weekend to see what was blooming there. The cherry orchard and the magnolia and camellia gardens were amazing! The proteas in the South African garden were also spectacular. With so many flowers in blooms, the tuis were everywhere! They are one of my favorite NZ birds, mostly because of all the crazy sounds they make.
As a scientist, one of the things I appreciate most about the garden is there commitment to education and research. I met the curator of the gardens at a work event after I visited the garden and learned about their current projects. They range from studying the effectiveness of different stormwater systems, figuring out which native NZ plants work for green roofs, trialling different mowing frequencies to increase meadow biodiversity, and demonstrating how landscaping can reduce urban runoff. I'm looking forward to going back to the gardens to see all of these projects!
As a scientist, one of the things I appreciate most about the garden is there commitment to education and research. I met the curator of the gardens at a work event after I visited the garden and learned about their current projects. They range from studying the effectiveness of different stormwater systems, figuring out which native NZ plants work for green roofs, trialling different mowing frequencies to increase meadow biodiversity, and demonstrating how landscaping can reduce urban runoff. I'm looking forward to going back to the gardens to see all of these projects!
Protea
a ginormous Protea the size of my head
the native pigeon (kereru) eating seeds from the puriri tree
grass seed head
entrance to the magnolia & camellia garden
magnolia bud
a beautiful tui in the magnolia garden
this was a very cooperative tui, letting me see
him/her from every angle (one of the few song birds
where males and females are the same size and color)
him/her from every angle (one of the few song birds
where males and females are the same size and color)
daffodils in the orchard
the orchard in full bloom
tui getting its fill of nectar in the orchard
a bit hard to see, but there is an eel in the creek!
this was my first tuna (maori name for eel) sighting!
this one was about 3 feet long and 2 inches in diameter.
this was my first tuna (maori name for eel) sighting!
this one was about 3 feet long and 2 inches in diameter.
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