New Zealand: Drosera arcturi habitat

[matt]

I thought I would take the opportunity to post some recent photos of a trip I had in Arthurs Pass National Park, NZ. The main purpose of thr trip was to get into the mountains and out the city, but I did plan to head past a few alpine tarns in search of some of NZ's alpine Drosera. I hope these photos entice others over here and show the extra 3 hrs flight from Australia is well worth it!

The trip was undertaken at the start of spring. Late season snowfall meant there was little to be seen at most alpine bogs (above 1200m). One bog at lower elevation however did contain a number of D. arcturi. I understand D. spatulata and D. stenopetala are also found in these bogs but likely a little early in the season for them. The photos were taken with a small digital camera as weight was rather important, so the macro shots are of poor quality I am afraid.

Trail to habitat
(no easier way!)


Typical alpine habitat (1400m) - snowed out and no D. arcturi found


Typical alpine habitat (1400m) - snowed out and no D. arcturi found


Lower bog at approximately 700m - contained numerous D. arcturi






[img src="[http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff352/mattshore_bucket/KellyRange080.jpg"]

[matt]

Trail hazards - NZ Weta


So all in all a great trip. Beautiful scenery, no people and a few CP's. I Hope you enjoyed the photos. Any questions feel free to ask

[Brian Barnes]

Hey Matt,
The D. arcturi and the bog scenes are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing with us...
The D. arcturi seem to be fairly robust in the photos. What was the daytime/nightime temps at the time you were there in the bog areas?
Happy Growing,
Brian.

[RL7836]

Truly astounding photos - thanks for sharing!

[matt]

Brian

I would say max daytime temps at the lower bog would be approximately 15 (Celsius) and nighttime lows would be typically around 0 (Celsius). We tented that night next to the lower bog and there was a decent frost suggesting the temperature that night was well below 0. They certainly have very short growing seasons (around 6 months max), with snow likely on the ground between June and December.

The trip definitely gave me several pointers for the cultivation of these species (which I have not had to much success with to date). One is that seeds must germinate at lower temperatures compared to other Drosera. Secondly, most plants appeared partially submerged in water and so experience high water levels. And finally they truly receive full sun in a temperature location i.e. around 14 hrs at the time we visited.

Living in Chc, I thought it would be relatively easy to grow the alpine sundews. After all, they grow around 70km from the city. I certainly haven't mastered it and gives me something to work on!

[jj1109]

fan-TASTIC pics great to see them... i'll have to wander around the victorian high country at some point in the future to see if I can catch any australian arcturi...

nice work!