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Work Day Reminder, July 18 2020
The next Travis work day, is Saturday July 18 2020, 9 am – 12:30.
Meet at the Education Centre (the old farm house) near the Beach Rd car park at 9 am. Click on the adjacent location map for a more detailed view.
We’ll probably be doing some releasing or planting somewhere around the wetland, but plans change with the weather! When we leave the Education Centre to work elsewhere in the wetland a notice board in the porch will indicate where we have gone, if it’s not obvious. Please join us.
All tools provided. It’s liable to be wet underfoot, so gumboots are advised. If you don’t own any we do have some for loan.
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Travis Wetland 2021 Calendar – reminder
Grahame has selected some of his best images of Travis Wetland for a 2021 calendar. This is to raise funds for the Trust. We plan to have it available for posting out by September this year, in plenty of time for you to receive it and post to friends overseas for Christmas. We’ll be taking orders for the calendar, as printing more than we can sell would be a drain on funds, rather than a fund-raiser. Cost will be $20 each plus post and packing within NZ. Collection at a Trust work day will also be an option. To get a better look at the beautiful images and to order calendars look for the Calendar page under Products on the website (traviswetland.org.nz), or if you don’t have Internet access call Dave Evans on 366 0628.
Work Day, Saturday 20 June
Fifteen people turned out for our first Saturday workday in several months. The weather was overcast with a chilly breeze but, unlike preceding days, free from rain.
Our mission was to plant some dry-loving plants on the old dune system beside the Mairehau Road / Inwoods Road entrance pathway. There have been high losses from previous plantings in this space, most likely due to lack of water . We hope to be able to arrange ongoing watering for our plants this time.
Our walk around to the site included the chance to get a close look at a Cape Barren Goose. This chunky grey bird with a thickish neck and small head has had a photo feature in a recent edition of our newsletter.
The wide grassy area to the south of the footpath had received an advance load of mulch from the City Council green waste recycling facility. In places the mulch layer was very thick so some smart new grubber tools were put to good use helping us find the sandy soil beneath.
Only dry-loving natives are suitable for this site and we had a good cross section of species. Cassinia, matagouri and Korokio were among the larger types with smaller specimens like porcupine shrub and prostrate kōwhai placed closer to the footpath.
Several types of coprosma were planted including C. proprinqua, C. virescens and C. acerosa. These are all hardy species with small berries to provide food for skinks and birds.
Euphorbia glauca (NZ sand spurge) was also planted close to the footpath. This will grow up to 1m. and provide colour variation with its long blue-green leaves. This plant is considered at risk and declining so hopefully ours will thrive. Interestingly the white latex from cut stems of the plant can be a skin irritant and was perhaps developed as a deterrent to herbivores.
Our planting efforts were closely observed by a cheeky fantail and some bright green katydids were easy to spot on the dark mulch.
It didn’t take too long to get the 150 plants into the ground and it was a treat to enjoy warm cheese rolls, savouries and other goodies back at the Education Centre. So nice to be able to sit together and ‘chew the fat.’ Here’s hoping that COVID 19 will allow us to do the same in the months to come.
Article: Sue Britain, Images: Grahame
Recent Observations
Images: Grahame Bell