The name gives it away. Megaherbs are particularly large herbs. 'Carrots', 'cabbages' and giant diasies up to 1.5 meters tall with big, colourful flowerheads and leaves the size of dinner plates. They are only found on a handful of islands south of New Zealand in the middle of the Southern Ocean, in a zone between the temperate and the Antarctic. The sub-Antarctic. Here, extreme temperatures are not the main problem: rather, the near-constant wind, rain and general cloudiness make it challenging for both the plants and their pollinators.
Read MoreA day on Enderby Island
On our first morning, we awoke close to the Snares, with hopes of a zodiac cruise and Snares Crested Penguins. But 60 knot winds left that idea dead in the water. Instead, we headed onwards toward Auckland Island...
Fast foward 24 hours and we awoke to complete calm: the sun was rising, the wind was still, the waters of Ross Harbour were smooth, and everyone was smiling. It was going to be a good day.
Read MoreIt's pollinator week!
This week, from the 12th to the 19th of November, is Australian Pollinator Week. It was created to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators and of the recent declines in insect abundance. Say g'day to an insect, plant a flowering shrub, and don't use pesticides, and the indispensable insects may just survive.
Read MoreThe joys of fieldwork
Ahhh fieldwork. It never goes according to plan. But, finally, my field season has come to an end and its time to put aside the 4WD, camping equipment and car fridge, and actually unpack the bags which have been moving between the car and house since May.
Read MoreTozers Bush Camp, Bremer Bay
Tozers Bush Camp is a wonderful little patch of bush, surrounded by farmland, on the road to Bremer Bay. We were drawn to visit the place because of their now-famous orchid tours including the highly sought-after Queen of Sheba, Thelymitra speciosa, which we saw. But the place is so much more than a couple of admittedly spectacular orchids. We were so taken by the place that I've dedicated a whole blog post to highlight some of the wonderful flowers that we saw when were there in late August this year.
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