Dancing Spider Orchid about half way through the embryonic stage of developement about 3 weeks ago

Spring Orchids on Stewart Island

As spring progresses I enjoy watching the orchids appear, especially while taking our guests around Ulva Island and the village roads. First to show up for us are the “Spiders”, and the first of these are the “Dancing Spider Orchids” or Nematoceras acuminatum. They are now well out, with most beyond what I refer to as the “embryonic” stage. While most plant blooms appear quite normally out of a bud, the “Spider” orchids I am familiar with all go through a quite prolonged embryonic stage. This however is followed eventually by the bloom in all its miniature glory.

Nematoceras acuminatum in full bloom yesterday

 

 

And yesterday while showing a friend some of the local roadside orchids we spotted Nematoceras iridescens in the embryonic stage

Nematoceras iridescens, or “Big Red Spider Orchid” bloom about half formed

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nematoceras iridescens photograpfed last year at the same location

 

 

 

 

 

And we also found the first of the Pterostylus “Bluff” out

 

 

 

 

Two Fat Ladies

One of our two fat ladies

Now before I get jumped on for being “Un PC”  …. which I probably really am … The original Two Fat Ladies was a UK Cooking Program.

But our Large Ladies are a pair of female blackbirds who “own” the food gathering rights in our garden. This is a privilege they guard vigorously, chasing other females away. Over the last few weeks we have been spreading the contents of our compost bins over both the vegetable garden and around trees etc. And the compost is seething with worms which these two gluttons hunt with great enthusiasm. To the point they are now more or less spherical. They are usually seen together, and when one departs the other is immediately away after her. They are quite fearless and are literally under the fork in the bins, as I shoveled the compost into the barrow for spreading. Their obesity is not assisted by Iris feeding cat food to all comers each morning.

Sails Ashore

 

 

…. Peter & Iris, Sails Ashore
11 View St,
Stewart Island,
[email protected]
www.sailsashore.co.nz

64 3 219 1151
0800 783 9278