A forest gecko was recently discovered in the Open Sanctuary. Whilst this species is not uncommon throughout the north of the North Island, this is a first record of one at Shakespear so we now know that we have seven of the nine species of lizards known to live in the Auckland area. This picture shows him on…
The next Sunday event is on 21 May, 2017, 9.30am at the Park Office, Te Haruhi Bay. (NB: please refresh your browser to get the latest date! Try CTRL + F5 for PC, Cmd + R for Mac) ) Note that we’re starting a bit earlier to allow time for a short talk (topic to…
This month’s pest plant is the phoenix palm. Now on the list of plants banned from sale or propagation, this is a very large palm with thick trunk and spiny leaves, creamy flowers and abundant date-like seeds. There are quite a few near the Sanctuary and birds like the fruit so we’re keen to stop…
Now that spring is here we are re-starting our regular Sunday at Shakespear events from 19th October. These are volunteer events which are open to anyone and will be followed by a BBQ lunch. We plan to run them on the third Sunday of each month (not December) but if the weather is really bad…
SOSSI is running a “Sunday at Shakespear” on August 17th to see if we can finish the planting before spring (lambs are here!). Many of you have helped with the 18,000 already planted, but there are still 10o0 to go. Bring the family and come and help, 10-12am with free BBQ to follow. Meet at…
While some types of ginger can look nice in your garden you’ll regret having any of the ‘wild’ gingers. Yellow ginger and kahili ginger were both introduced as garden plants but they quickly form dense and impenetrable mats of rhizomes which smother anything else. In the wild these can grow to a metre deep and…
While helping to plant trees at the planting day yesterday, Lucy Nie and and her friends from Kristen School also planted some ‘money trees’. They dramatised their day’s work and Lucy has made it into this very appealing video. Make sure you watch to the end.
By Michell Roper Massey University researchers (including Prof. Dianne Brunton and PhD student Michelle Roper) are monitoring the New Zealand bellbird (Anthornis melanura) population at Shakespear Regional Park to look at their natural dispersal back into the park and as part of a wider study on song development and dialects. Bellbirds occur on various islands…
This serious fungal disease is well established in Australia and affects plants of the myrtle family. Unfortunately this includes some common natives like rata, pohutukawa and manuka, and since the spores could be carried here by wind a biosecurity alert has been issued to watch out for it. It can also attack fruit like feijoas…
Pampas grass is our featured pest plant this month, because right now its seed heads are evident everywhere in our district. The plants form large grassy clumps with a dead leaf base. Its erect and bushy flower heads are quite attractive and easily recognised, emerging January to March, but unfortunately they are prolific producers of seeds which then blow…
