#WestOtago

2024-01-06

#Garden strip we're developing at home by our driveway. Photos taken a few days ago. The ground is full of junk (hence the bucket). This morning we dug out two saucepans, glass bottles, broken glass and ceramics, rocks.. it's hard work! @unearth making it wider. #Tapanui New Zealand

#WestOtago #NewZealand #BloomScrolling #flowers #Gypsophila #sage #pansy #pansies #summer #man #gardening #landscape #landscaping

Four small Gypsophila plants. Two have pink flowers and two have white flowers. This is a small bushy type.Really love my Delta Yellow pansies! Big, bright yellow flowers.Two young purple sage plants coming on nicely. I grew them from cuttings that I took in spring. Behind them is Pseudowintera colorata 'Red Leopard', a native cultivar released by Blue Mountain Nurseries in Tapanui.Nigel enlarging the long garden bed. We're constantly picking up 'stuff'. The plants in my other three photos are all in this shot (the purple sage are above the stony patch). The grassy field next door isn't ours; it's grazed by sheep from time-to-time.
2024-01-04

Our #garden.. I took a few pics today.
1st two: Nigel's #wildflower garden @unearth
3rd pic: #bumblebee on an #Allium #flower (#leek)
4th pic: #lovage, it shot up like a rocket!

The #pink blooms mystified me, I've found they're #Godetia Azaleaflora (#Clarkia), and #blue #cornflowers

#BloomScrolling #flowers #summer #colour #color #NewZealand #Tapanui #WestOtago

Pink Godetia flowers in the middle, blue cornflowers either side, and celery flowering profusely behind the other flowers. The celery has lots of green stems supporting lots of umbels of small white flowers.Closer view of various Godetia flowers in pink-and-white, deep pink, and pink-and-mauve colouring.. member of the evening primrose family. Blue cornflowers beyond the Godetia.Leek flower-head mostly free of its protective cap with a bumblebee exploring the exposed flowers.The lovage is reaching for the sky! Large, dense plant with tall stems of green foliage and very tall flower stems. They support umbels of small yellow flowers.
2023-12-24

#Moa #Christmas Yesterday at Moa Flat, West Otago.
The moa has its own corner of a sheep paddock. New Zealand

#NewZealand #NZ #sculpture #bird #WestOtago #Otago #sign

Side view of white sign with black letters that read MOA FLAT. Red tinsel has been wrapped around the white supports. Silver tinsel decorates the farm fence in front, and there are lots of oxeye daisies and grasses in flower. Rural hill country background under blue sky with light cloud.Front-on view of the sign, tinsel fence and daisies. The silver tinsel forms a wavy horizontal line along the top of the fence and a few stars hang from the top wire. To the left of the sign is a small Christmas tree with a white star on top. Further to the left is a large woven-wire moa sculpture decorated with gold tinsel and wearing a Santa hat. A group of native cabbage trees form the backdrop to the moa. Light blue sky.Same moa standing in flowering grasses, with native cabbage trees behind. It has gold tinsel wound around its long neck and upper body. The moa's Santa hat is flopping over its face and beak. The cabbage trees are in flower, and the Christmas tree with its apex star leans in from the right. Light blue sky.Same view as previous photo but a little closer and wider. The moa's small patch of land is covered in tall flowering  summer grasses.
2023-11-18

Plants from our garden, dates I took pics.

Kakabeak, 02 October
New maple (recently planted), 16 November
Nigel's wildflower garden, 16 November @unearth

#NewZealand #WestOtago #garden #red #green #spring #plants #foliage #maple #clianthus #kakabeak #wildflowers #HomeGarden

Kakabeak, native to New Zealand. Showy red flowers that resemble the shape of native parrot beaks and hang in clusters from an overarching branch. Pea-green fresh foliage. Clianthus species.Our new maple tree, recently purchased from the local plant nursery. Masses of many-pointed maple leaves that are lime green further in, graduating to yellow on the most outer leaves. The lovely spring colouring of the foliage was why we bought it (impulse buy).Nigel's wildflower garden which he looks out onto from his office window. Phacelia, California poppies,  a pink poppy, cornflowers and blue-and-white nemophila.. and others.
2023-08-04

Hebe /Veronica sp., a NZ native plant, Leonohebe cupressoides. We found this one growing in West Otago just outside a farm boundary fence, 29 Dec 2022. It was covered in flowers, attracting lots of insects!

#Hebe #Veronica #native #flora #NewZealand #WestOtago #plants #whipcord #WhipcordHebe #NZ #nzplants

For more info and good photos..
o2landscapes.com/plants/leonoh

Native mature shrub covered in masses of tiny pink flowers with insects flying in. Blue sky mostly covered in fine white cloud.Native mature shrub covered in masses of tiny pink flowers. Blue sky mostly covered in fine white cloud.Closer view of the massed tiny pink flowers with bits of green foliage poking through. The foliage is typical of plants in a group referred to as 'whipcord hebes'.Mature shrub with the top foliage almost obscured with the masses of small pink flowers.. sparse straggly stems and branches below. Blue sky with scattered white cloud. Leonohebe cupressoides.
2023-04-21

Open-mouthed! Whisky Gully, #Tapanui
16 April. West Otago, New Zealand.
#WestOtago #NewZealand

Mossy weathered tree trunk in sunlit native woodland that's fairly open with other smaller trees nearby and ferns at ground-level.  In the centre of the photo is the old tree trunk. It has a large dark hole, thick around the edge where it's healed, with green moss on top.
2023-04-17

Time to Shine. Whisky Gully, #Tapanui
Yesterday in West Otago. New Zealand.

#NewZealand #WestOtago #leaf #foliage #light #green #bush #native #plants #shadow #woodland #dark #forest #fresh

Detail of Griselinia leaves, fresh green with yellow stems. Backlit and bright!Upward view. Curtain of native beech leaves shining in the light, some seen against the dark tree trunk and some against sky. Other woodland shrubs and trees nearby.Large spreading branches of a native beech tree with masses of small leaves catching the light and reaching down to a dead tree trunk and branch. The old dead tree is covered in various green plants and mosses which are also illuminated. Pretty woodland scene.Detail of backlit green leaves that have serrated edges plus their own shadows. Green-yellow foliage, displaying shadows of their own serrated leaf edges.
2023-04-16

#ferns and #fungi

Photos taken today when we walked in #native #bush at Whisky Gully #Tapanui

West Otago #WestOtago
New Zealand #NewZealand

Bracket fungi on a tree trunk with a lovely creamy-white edge.Crown fern with long green fronds, against a tree trunk on a low bank.Another beautiful crown fern with a good spread of upright and drooping bright green fronds. Woodland tree trunks behind.
2023-04-15

#Euonymous seedcases, some open with orange seeds. Pretty #pink cases. Clear #blue sky. #Autumn at Moa Flat, 07 April. Large bush growing in roadside verge by a farm paddock. West Otago, New Zealand.

#seed #seeds #WestOtago #NewZealand

Detail photo showing bunches of pretty pink Euonymous seedcases, some open with orange seeds hanging out.A few branches from a large Euonymous bush with masses of pretty pink seedcases, viewed against a clear blue sky.Top part of a large Euonymous bush with masses of pretty pink seedcases, seen against a clear blue sky.The main bulk of a large Euonymous bush with masses of pretty pink seedcases, seen against a clear blue sky. Tall grass seedheads in foreground.
2023-04-14

#Pomahaka #River at Park Hill Domain off #Switzers Road, West #Otago New Zealand. 09 April #NewZealand #WestOtago

Pomahaka river with riverbed visible through the water, and thin plumes of native toetoe.Rough hillside with scattered scruffy shrubs and a beautiful blue sky with thin wispy clouds. To the right is a tall birch tree with white trunk and branches, and green foliage.Another part of the steep, rough hillside and scruffy shrubs but this view also shows many rocky outcrops on the hillside. Blue sky and wispy white clouds above the ridgeline.Pomahaka River, view looking upstream. Pastoral hills, riverside willows that are in transition to autumn yellow, and Nigel standing on the bank.
2023-04-10

Yesterday afternoon we visited Park Hill Domain, a quiet spot out in the country ~West Otago, New Zealand. Pomahaka River.

#PomahakaRiver #WestOtago #NewZealand

Large grassy area alongside the river, the bridge is where the road crosses the river. Plumes of native toetoe (Cortaderia or Austroderia species).Native red tussock, windblown. Gorgeous. Green at the base but much of the plant is gingery-red.Rustic bench-type table on grassy area near the river. Toadstools in the foreground. Long view of the river with a couple of large boulders in the middle of the river and further upstream are willows turning yellow. The other side of the river is a large green pastoral field.Red mature toadstool with white spots and white stem with a colourful baby growing up alongside. They were nestled into a bank.
2023-04-08

Yesterday afternoon at Moa Flat, West Otago.

New Zealand #WestOtago #NewZealand #MoaFlat #pink #Euonymous #autumn #landscape #travel #people #photography

~Popping Pink~

Detail of partially opened pink capsule containing three bright, shiny, round, orange seeds. One's nearly fallen out of its case but is tenuously held by a few filaments of flesh. The other two are still within the constraints of the capsule.Me standing on the roadside photographing the Euonymous bush which is covered in pink capsules. The whole scene is illuminated by the afternoon sunshine. In the far distance are the Blue Mountains and above everything is a perfectly clear blue sky.Me photographing a small Euonymous near the big one, lots of pink capsules in foreground. The whole scene is illuminated by the afternoon sunshine. Beyond the fence is a large green pastoral area with sheep grazing. In the far distance is a glimpse of the Blue Mountains and above everything is a perfectly clear blue sky.Context photo with the large and small Euonymous bushes covered in pink capsules, Nigel standing between the main Euonymous and the sealed road, and the shadow of me taking the photo. Sheep graze in the paddock to the left, further away are pastoral hills and the Blue Mountains to the right. Clear blue sky above.
2023-04-07

Almost a month ago I did a local walk out of town into nearby countryside to get photos of a #Euonymous bush located near a farm gate. It produces gorgeous #pink capsules at this time of year, i.e. #autumn in NZ. West #Otago

#Tapanui #NewZealand #WestOtago

Brilliant pink capsules hanging down on slender stems from a Euonymous bush. The capsules are an unusual colour and shape, bright pink, and shaped like miniature pumpkins!Euonymous bush dotted with bright pink capsules, by a farm gate.
2023-03-14

Autumn local walk, Sunday 12 March.
#Tapanui West Otago, New Zealand.

#WestOtago #NewZealand #autumn

Outstretched tree branches with foliage hanging down. Most of the leaves are still fully green but a small group in the centre of the photo are golden yellow and in stark contrast to the rest of the foliage.I crossed the road to see this oddity and it turned out to be a sunflower, bowing deeply! Pink dahlias behind. On the right is the road we’re walking down.. nearly made it out of town and still have to walk past a few farm fields.Wild apple tree we found by the road; close-up photo of deep red apples, a pretty lichen-y branch, and lots of green apple leaves.A mob of Clematis seedheads looking like a long-leg spider invasion, although the long white ‘legs’ and red centres also make me think of tentacles.. anemones perhaps (marine ones). Creepy-crawlies!
2023-02-27

#Kniphofia or red hot #pokers (toot 2)
~ #poker plant, #torch lily
~ road frontage of a farm paddock

West #Otago, New Zealand. 29 January 2023
#WestOtago #NewZealand

A line of red hot pokers with very bright flower heads. Red-orange main colour with a small band of yellow at the bottom. The taller, more mature flower heads glow brightly in front of the beautiful blue, summer, cloudless sky, that's right behind them.A single clump of Kniphofia flower heads presiding over the roadside verge with its pinky-beige summer grasses. Over the fence are open farm paddocks and a line of shelter trees. Further away are the slopes and ridgeline of the Blue Mountains with clear blue sky above.A single clump of Kniphofia flower heads by the gate of a farm paddock. Over the fence are the farm paddocks and part of a line of shelter trees. Further away are the slopes and ridgeline of the Blue Mountains with clear blue sky above. Immediately to the right of the Kniphofia, nestled against it, is a thick green growth of bracken fern.A wider view with the gate at the left, the Kniphofia clump from the last photo and the bracken, and another clump of bright Kniphofia flowers in the right-hand foreground. Beyond are the farm paddocks and further away again are the slopes and long ridgeline of the Blue Mountains with clear blue sky above.
2023-02-27

#Kniphofia or red hot #pokers
~ #poker plant, #torch lily
~ road frontage of a farm paddock

West #Otago, New Zealand. 29 January 2023
#WestOtago #NewZealand

A line of red hot pokers with very bright flower heads beside a sealed highway. Red-orange main colour with a band of yellow at the bottom. Some flowers are set against green foliage while taller ones glow in front of the bright blue sky that's behind them.
2023-02-03

Pink smoke.. more #smoke #tree photos! ~from our #street, taken 31 January. #Tapanui, West Otago. New Zealand. #Cotinus #coggygria #NewZealand #WestOtago

Street-side smoke tree covered in soft, pink, fuzzy, puffs of flowers. An old white weathered church is behind the tree to the left, blue door and blue roof. To the right is the street disappearing down into the town. A bit of blue in the sky but mostly light white cloud.Lower part of the smoke tree - covered in soft, pink, fuzzy, puffs of flowers. An old white weathered church is to the left with blue door and blue roof. The church is visible behind the tree to the left, and under the smoke tree's pink puffs.Most of the upper part of the smoke tree, covered in masses of pink puffs of flowers - you can't see much else of the tree! Above the tree and to the right is sky - a lot of white cloud and two or three bits of blue sky over to the right. Overall effect is a mass of pink puffs, puffy white cloud, and blue sky.At the very bottom the view reaches way over to the ridgeline of the Blue Mountains. From this angle the pink puffs look paler and many more green leaves are visible. The smoke tree occupies much of the right-hand two thirds of the photo. To the left, beyond, is another tree and above that is a big patch of blue sky and minor wispy white cloud.
2023-01-30

#Blue #agapanthus, a couple of shots I took this morning a little further up our street in #Tapanui West Otago, New Zealand #NewZealand #rosehips #WestOtago #Otago

Roughly spherical flower head of blue agapanthus flowers, beautiful blue buds, partly opened flowers and a fully open flower facing the camera. The flower head sits atop a sturdy stem and is set against green foliage, including the agapanthus foliage - long, green, strappy leaves streaming out to either side of the flower head.A meeting, of rose hips with an agapanthus flower head. Two orange-red oval-shaped rose hips mixed in with blue agapanthus flower buds in the centre of an agapanthus flower head. Bright and cheerful!
2023-01-19

A weathered but wonderful #playground at Black Gully #Reserve, near #Tapanui, West #Otago. 28 December. New Zealand.

#NewZealand #WestOtago

Playground. Hexagonal rotating seat with each of the six sections painted in contrasting colours, we can see yellow, blue and red sections from this angle. The paint is very faded and weathered. When the seat is pushed (via the bars between each section) then the seat will spin and the pushers can jump on the seat and have a ride. Other playground equipment is visible behind, and small wooden accommodation cabins are visible on the hill behind.Playground, with the hexagonal seat, a swing-set with 6 swings, a small spaceship slide for young children, and another merry-go-round device, circular and higher off the ground, for older children. It also spins if pushed or pulled to get it going. There are large trees in the background, and there are red mistletoe flowers visible in one of the trees.A long fun-looking stainless steel slide that runs down a hill slope from a group of little wooden cabins and stops on a level that's closer to where the playground is (the playground's a little further down the hill).Another rotating merry-go-round apparatus, with bars extending from the central pole - each bar has a swing-seat attached at the end of the bar. Requires people to run with it to get it spinning and give the passengers a ride. Probably 8 seats. Lovely big, clear blue, summer sky. The ground under the merry-go-round is bare and around that is a large, tidy, mown, grassy area that slopes down to distant trees where there's a camping area for visitors.
2023-01-16

Rainbow, photo taken from our front porch yesterday evening. Tapanui and Blue Mountains. West Otago, New Zealand #NewZealand #rainbow #weather #sky #cloud #BlueMountains #WestOtago

Rainbow arc, high in a dark cloudy sky.. appearing from a tree on the left and reaching over and down.. to the ridgeline of the Blue Mountains.

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