Know your New Zealand natives: goldstripe gecko

It’s acrobatic grace and golden good looks will steal your heart, and what’s more, there’s only one region on mainland New Zealand that you can find this month’s native animal, the goldstripe gecko (Woodworthia chrysosireticus). There are still quite a few of these little geckos throughout their patch on the western coast of the North…

Know your New Zealand natives: copper skink

If you see a sleek little brown skink slinking around your garden, and you live in the North Island, chances are it’s a copper skink. These guys are more scientifically known as Oligosoma aeneum, and are the second smallest native lizard in New Zealand, not longer than a truly titchy 12 centimetres. While they are…

The confusing evolutionary identity of turtles

The topic I’d like to discuss today represents a major controversy in our understanding of the phylogeny (family tree) of reptiles (and birds, which are just a fancy kind of reptile). Turtles have been in a state of identity crisis for some time as scientists have debated the origins of our shelled friends, and two…

A Kapiti fungal foray – June 2012

Back in June 2012, I was lucky enough to do a fungal foray for a group of landowners in Paraparaumu who are involved in conservation work on their properties. These two owners have on their land some gorgeous regenerating kanuka on the drier sites and mahoe bush on the wetter sites, as well as some…