The Waiotoi Track - Alseuosmia Banksii Tree Fungi

This Alseuosmia Banksii on the Waiotoi Track is in full bloom. It has more flowers than we have seen before. The flowers are wonderfully fragrant. It is easy to find as its perfume permeates the air for 20 metres along the track.

This shrub is particularly tall at 2.28m.

I also found this large fungi. It is about 120mm tall and quite solid

It's All About Monarchs

It is super late in the Monarch Butterfly season and we still have caterpillars! We have taken quite a few into our warm lounge along with a bunch of swan plant branches for food. We then had caterpillars marching around the lounge looking for a place to settle to chrysalis. Two even chose the lounge ceiling as a place to hang.

The end result is that we have released a number of beautiful Monarchs back to the wilds.
It is a tough life for them now that we have that little black wasp that eats the eggs and caterpillars earlier in the season but not apparently this late. The South African Preying Mantis also has a voracious appetite for caterpillars.

End result we have caterpillars and butterflies at last. Wonderful!