@bugblokenz #Mosstodon! I love it! Here's one of my favourite local moss photos. I think it's a Breutelia, growing in the Summit Road Society's Ohinetahi Reserve in the Port Hills of #ŌtautahiChristchurch. #moss #nature #botany
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/8436934

NZers rightfully worry about the invasive mammalian predators eating our birds, but I don't think that's the main reason for the scarcity of native birds in #ŌtautahiChristchurch city. Everywhere that's flat (most of the city) was converted to English-style lawns and oak trees. That's house sparrow habitat. The hills around Christchurch were too steep to lawn and are now woody and contain native forest birds like piwakwaka-fantails. We need more forest+predator control. #nature #restoration 5/5

A lot of wild species still call #ŌtautahiChristchurch home. Here are the wild species observed so far on #iNaturalistNZ, in my garden, in the suburb of Heathcote Valley, and across Greater Christchurch (including its satellite towns). Native species outnumber the naturalised newcomers overall, but there are now more wild exotic plant species than natives in the area. That's only going to get worse as more garden plants jump into the wild. #nature #BiologicalInvasions #weeds 4/5

When European settlers climbed the Bridle Path and looked out on what would be Christchurch city, they saw a Canterbury Plains deforested by past fires, with the striking exceptions of what they called Riccarton Bush (the locals it called Pūtaringamotu) plus Papanui Bush. Riccarton Bush was reduced to about a third of its original size but saved by an Act of Parliament. Papanui Bush was felled and the last stumps were cleared in 1989. #nature #deforestation #ŌtautahiChristchurch 3/5

The landscape of what is now #ŌtautahiChristchurch city has always been a dynamic place. The Waimakariri River has shifted from its current position north of the city to draining into Te Waihora-Lake Ellesmere, to the south of the city. The coastline has also changed considerably with sea level changes. This is an old figure from a Christchurch City Council book, which I imagine is outdated in its details, captures well the magnitude of the environmental changes. #nature #SeaLevelRise 2/5

I had the good fortune to be invited to speak to the Heathcote Valley Community Association last evening, about wild life in #ŌtautahiChristchurch. It was great fun. Here are a few of my slides that might be of more general interest to NZers. (I also showed a lot of photos of pretty NZ moths.) #nature #AotearoaNZ 1/5