Events Programme - November 2024
5th November- Wanderers’ walk.
No walk due to Garden Festival
19th November- Wanderers’ walk.
Meet at the Bellringer Pavilion at 10:30
Mitch Graham will lead us on a walk through the fernery which will be a real treat with early summer blooms to admire.
21st November - Committee meeting
28th November - Evening Meeting
Citizens Advice Bureau, next to the Y.M.C.A. - 7pm.
Speaker - Abby Lagula
Abby is a Biosecurity Officer at the Taranaki Regional Council, her main focus is on pest pathways and new to region species. So what species we as a region need to be watching out for and how already established species are spreading throughout our beautiful region. Such threats can cause irreversible damage to our already fragile native environments, cause huge losses both culturally & economically.
Rhododendron 'Pink Pearl'
In flower in Rhododendron Dell - near the Serpentine
Review of October's Events
1st October- Wanderers’ walk
Lead - Tony Barnes
16 met at Alan Inch's home in Bell Block - what a haven!
An entry lined with totaras, and camellias, and a thick carpet of soft yellow clivias.
Tony Barnes was our very interesting guide, the history of clivias related with some amusing and interesting tales of conferences he had attended over the years.
The garden is 40yrs in the making. Palms mingling with camellias and the odd eucalyptus, bromeliads and again, clivias and clivias in many colours.
Sincere thanks from all, to Tony and of course Alan (who was o/seas), for a memorable morning's wander.
15th October- Wanderers’ walk.
Lead - Tony Barnes
Tony’s plan was to walk around the fountain lake area for a start and discuss some of the plants of interest. In a Park with thousands of plants of interest and with Tony’s extensive plant knowledge we didn’t have to walk far before discussing a new find.
As we started walking around the Lake Tony pointed out an Australian grass, mass planted, on the bank. He said it was very hardy, always looks impressive and grew very well in our climate as opposed to some of our native carex grasses which don’t perform well locally due to our humid conditions.
Tony was intrigued that some of the Clivia miniata plants had single colour flowers. This was unusual as most have flame/orange main colour with some yellow at the base of the throat. Out of interest the Latin name miniata means flame/orange coloured. It doesn’t mean the plants are miniature in size. The yellow at the base of the throat is almost certainly the guide pattern to the nectar. The flowers of all Clivias strongly reflect UV light which means the orange colour we see is likely to appear different to the insect and bird pollinators. South African scientists have recently discovered that miniata has evolved from being bird pollinated to butterfly pollinated. The lovely upright trumpet shaped flowers we admire have evolved to stop sunbird nectar feeders gaining access and allow the better pollinating butterflies easy access. Sunbirds cannot hover like hummingbirds so need to perch on the stem under the flower. Miniata has also developed scent to guide the butterflies to the flowers.
We continued walking and returned back to the new plantings above the rocks placed to stabilise the stream banks at the outlet from the fountain lake. Tony discussed many of the plants but also observed many weeds gaining hold in the woodchip mulch. He couldn’t resist removing a few and like lemmings we all followed and spent a few minutes removing the weeds. There was a Park’s crew working at the Japanese Hillside and their trailer was nicely placed for a few more weeds to be added.
20th October - Plant Sale.
It was…. Ready.. Steady…Go… when Kevin blew the start whistle for our annual sale at the Band Rotunda.
The Rotunda steps were full of plants – but not for long. Eager buyers swamped the steps and at 10:30 we had a quiet moment to reflect on what had hit us!
No complaints though and we loved seeing the plants go to keen gardeners, some of them locals who come every year without fail.
Special thanks must go to Sheryl Clyma for her behind the scenes preparation for us at the Park; to all who grew and delivered plants – much appreciated; to the dedicated team of sellers, barrow pushers, truck deliverers; the knowledgeable sellers – and lastly to the team behind the organisation of the day – they even got the sunshine right!
A great effort everyone.
Thank you all so very much
24th October - Evening Meeting
Our president Sue introduced Daniella Gibas, the strategic lead for Wild for Taranaki.
Daniella, after giving a brief of who and what Wild for Taranaki stand for (https://wildfortaranaki.nz/ ), then introduced Lisa Berndt, who is the regional co-ordinator for Wild for Taranaki.
Lisa detailed to the 16 present, one of the current projects in force Involving the whitebait population of Taranaki.
Thanks to Maureen Johns for a delicious supper.
From the Zoo
Jolene Beattie - Brooklands Zoo - Senior Keeper.
I think winter would have to be my least favourite season of the year at the zoo. While I love working outdoors, it’s not the greatest on days when it is pouring with rain. We are very lucky as keepers to have very good wet weather gear that help us keep warm and dry from the elements.
Some of the animals do not like winter either but the keepers go out of their way to make sure they are warm and comfortable. The meerkats have a bean bag with blankets over the top which is placed under an infrared heat lamp on a raised platform at the back of their habitat so the rain cannot reach that area, as well as a heated inside den, multiple huts and a second heat lamp area.
On some very chilly winter mornings, when checking the meerkats, keepers have trouble locating where they are, then all of a sudden we’ll see movement from under the blanket and out pop three meerkat heads demanding breakfast in bed.
The monkeys get to enjoy warm food items on a cold winter’s day, with the choice to enjoy it in their heated dens. Even the pigs get some warm porridge on a cold winter’s morning as a treat.
The keepers make sure all the animals have lots of straw as their bedding so they can keep warm. The leopard tortoises sleep under their straw every night and on cold nights the keepers make sure there is straw covering the top of their shells (along with the choice of multiple heat lamps).
The monkeys have heat pumps in the den areas. Keepers do enjoy hosing out the dens on a freezing day!
Another task that must be done every day is cleaning out the water drinkers so the animals have fresh water to drink, but our hands are like icicles at the end of it.
Spring arriving is looked forward to by both staff and animals.
Basking under a Heat Lamp.
From left: Mtunzi, Sanura and Kesi.
Squirrel Monkey - Inti.
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Our mailing address is:
Friends of Pukekura Park
PO BOX 484
New Plymouth, Taranaki 4340
New Zealand
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