McLeans Forest, Trip #6

This week we explored under the pine trees at McLeans Forest, which is next to the Waimakariri River. The ground was very up and down, and the soil very stony.

At first it looks fairly bare under the trees, but actually there was a lot of life to see.

Some of the pine trees at McLeans forest. Photo: KM

Rocks embedded in the roots of an overturned tree. Photo: KM

We saw fungi, lichens, slime mold, mosses, liverworts, conifers, flowering plants, springtails, insects, spiders and birds. That means we saw species from four of the taxonomic kingdoms.

Overview of the taxonomy for the species we saw at McLeans Forest.

Below is some of what we saw – our thanks to the generous folk at NatureWatch for help with identifications.

Fungi, including Lichens

Fungi

Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria). Photo: KM

Puffball (Family Lycoperdaceae). Photo: CM

The part of a fungi that is usually noticed is the fruiting body that it makes to reproduce. However the main bulk of a fungus is thread-like structures called hyphae; which form a network known as the mycelium.

The white ‘fuzz’ is fungal mycelium. Photo: CM

Lichens

Lichens are actually two species in partnership: a fungi and an algae (or cyanobacterium). The fungus provides minerals and water to the algae, while the algae photosynthesises and provides sugars and other carbohydrates to the fungus.

There are several lichen species on this branch – the bright orange one is Teloschistes velifer. Photo: KM

A rock shield lichen – Xanthoparmelia sp. Photo: KM

Another rock shield lichen, also in the genus Xanthoparmelia. Photo: KM

One of the fruticose lichens – Cladia aggregata. Photo: KM

Pixie-cup lichen (Cladonia sp.). Photo: KM

Pixie-cup lichen (Cladonia sp.) and cypress-leaved plait-moss (Hypnum cupressiforme). Photo: KM

Ramalina sp. – fallen to the ground from an overhead branch. Photo: KM

If you are interested in lichens, there is an introductory guide to some of the New Zealand species by Dr Allison Knight here.

Protozoans

Slime Mold

These are a type of protozoan, so they are very different biologically to the other organisms we saw – despite looking quite similar. They mostly live as individual cells, but they can also group together. In the combined state they may move, and/or form a reproductive structure to disperse spores. See here for a time lapse of this occurring.

False puffball (Reticularia lycoperdon), which was fully of brown spores. Photo: KM

Plants

Mosses

A fine moss, called Triquetrella papillata. Photo: KM

The lichen (left) is Cladia aggregata, the moss (middle) is Campylopus clavatus. Photo: KM

Cypress-leaved plait-moss (Hypnum cupressiforme). Photo: KM

A very fine moss, called Thuidium furfurosum. Photo: KM

Juniper polytrichum moss (Polytrichum juniperinum). Photo: KM

Liverworts

We only saw one liverwort. Clues that this one is not a moss are the rounded (lobed) leaves, and the way the leaves are arranged in rows on either side.

A liverwort, Chiloscyphus semiteres var semiteres. Photo: KM

Conifers

The main tree present is Monterey pine.

Monterey pine seedling (Pinus radiata). Photo: KM

Monterey pine cone (Pinus radiata) – with some lichen growing on it. Photo: KM

Flowering Plants

Most of the flowering plants we saw on this occasion were not native to New Zealand, except for a small creeping plant called Muehlenbeckia axillaris.

Muehlenbeckia axillaris. Photo: CM

Viper’s-Bugloss (Echium vulgare). Photo: KM

Woolly mullein (Verbascum thapsus). Photo: KM

Close-up of woolly mullein leaves, showing the hairs. Photo: CM

Hare’s foot trefoil (Trifolium arvense). Photo: CM

Animals

Springtails

Springtails are one of the most abundant creatures on the planet, but quite small (usually <6mm).

The small dark flecks on the fungus here are springtails (Order Collembola). Photo: CM

Spiders

Spider web on a stump, but no sign of the web-builder. Photo: KM

This handsome chap was on a pine seedling. We haven’t been able to identify the species yet. Photo: KM

Beetles

Wing cover of a ground beetle (Family Carabidae), surrounded by fungal mycelium. Photo: KM

Butterflies

Underside of the wing of a yellow admiral butterfly (Vanessa itea). Photo: KM

Birds

We also saw a NZ fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa), but didn’t manage to get a photograph.

Mammals

There were plenty of rabbit droppings, but we didn’t see any actual rabbits.

Conclusion

We’ll be back!

Mosses and lichens on a stump. Photo: KM

Mosses and lichens growing on an old stump, and on the ground. Photo: KM