Exploring local nature (Christchurch, Aotearoa).
There is always plenty to see in the rock pools, and we have visited this site repeatedly - see also trips 76, 57, 23 & 20. This trip was the last of our regular weekly excursions, though we hope to have occasional trips in the future. Taxonomy Below is a diagram showing the taxonomic relationships... Continue Reading →
We had a beautifully sunny morning at the Waimakariri River, near Weedons Ross Rd, at the end of July (2019). This is one of our favourites sites, and we have been back repeatedly, see trips 56, 54 and 38. The mobile nature of the channels, which change with each flood, means the site looks quite different each... Continue Reading →
At the end of July (2019), we had another trip to Travis Wetland. It was a damp grey day, but once we started looking in the water, there was plenty to see. https://vimeo.com/354334078 Animals Some of these photos were taken through a microscope, after the trip itself. Useful references were Guide to the freshwater Crustacea... Continue Reading →
In July (2019) we explored around the edge of Halswell Quarry, within Halswell Quarry Park. We had intended to investigate the ponds and wetland area, as we had found some interesting creatures there previously (see here). However the ponds had notices up about the presence of toxic algae, so we decided it might be better not... Continue Reading →
On 17 June 2019 we explored some of Brooklands Lagoon, from Anfield St. The tide was out, and so vast (slippery and sticky!) mudflats were exposed. Below is some of what we saw. Animals Molluscs Mudflat Tītiko One of the most prolific animals we saw were the mudflat tītiko snails - ‘an inhabitant of quiet... Continue Reading →
We had a lovely day and location for our 100th trip. (Our first Critter Club trip was in March 2016, to Travis Wetland.) Kaitorete Spit is about 28 km long, and forms a barrier, that is occasionally breached, between Lakes Ellesmere and the Pacific ocean. The land is a low lying gravel bar, covered with low... Continue Reading →
On this winter trip (27 May 2019) to Mt Pleasant, the life form that most caught our attention were the lichens covering the rocks. We also found a few animals and a fair number of plants - but for a change, we will start with the lichens... Lichens Lichens are actually two, or more, organisms... Continue Reading →
We went to Southshore Spit on 20th May 2019, and this time we explored the coastal side. We tried to find as many different kinds of shells as we could. There is a useful key here, that helps with the initial sorting into groups, and there is some more information about each of the groups... Continue Reading →
Originally Corsers Stream was a rural utility drain. In the 1990's it was converted into a more natural, open waterway, connecting Travis Wetland to the Avon River. The reserve is located within one of Christchurch's red zones. This means it used to have residential housing, but following a series of earthquakes (2011), the housing was... Continue Reading →
Kibblewhite Reserve is on the true left bank of the Avon River, just above the Avon-Heathcote Estuary. It is within the tidal part of the river, so a major factor determining what lives there is the regular inundation with saltwater. We explored the river bank (it was a low and outgoing tide), the salt marsh,... Continue Reading →
Critter Club - Journal 