Unusual Trees of Aotearoa - cauliflory and ramiflory

My recent blogpost about kohekohe trees got a lot of interest, with people particularly curious about cauliflory.

Flowering kohekohe trees

caulifory describes trees that flower from the trunk and major branches rather than the more common flowering from the tips of branches among the leaves

Forest, Fungi and Whitebait - West Coast Stories

The West Coast of New Zealand's South Island is rich in history and rich in nature's wonders. So it's no wonder that I enjoyed taking part in the week long Storylines National Festival Story Tour of the region. The tour started in Hokitika, where the sea comes crashing in against the beach and surging up the river - sometimes it rained, sometimes the sun shone.

Driftwood sign on the Hokitika shore

Our team drove up the coast visiting schools, libraries and early childhood centres. Everywhere we went we met with a friendly welcome.

Schools visited on day 1

Some schools had book displays, others had books for me to sign, all had children keen to learn about being an author. Here are some of the Greymouth schools...

Autumn Nature Walk - a splendid kohekohe year

Kohekohe flowers

Cascades of blooms signal a splendid flowering year for the kohekohe. It's time to get out into our lowland coastal forests and enjoy the flowers and marvel at their abundance. They are already flowering now and should go on flowering through into June.

Win a Copy of "Whose Home is This?" - new title out now

To celebrate the launch of "Whose Home is This?" I'm giving away a copy. Simply name an animal featured in the book in the comments or by messaging me to go into the draw. Closes Saturday 21 April, drawn Sunday. Open to anyone with a New Zealand postal address.

Thanks to my publisher Potton & Burton.

And to Fraser Williamson for the gorgeous illustrations.