Aoraki wrapped his cloak tightly around him this morning, his form not even a whisper in the mist. We had our breakfast and hit the road. But as we drove away along the shores of Lake Pukaki, the shroud lifted a little like a last farewell. Linda found a vantage spot where she could park and we could take our last photos of the peaks.
NZ native lupins (as opposed to the introduced variety)
The…
Another weed that I kept running into in New South Wales and in New Zealand - the last photo is from the southern end of a lake in the Southern Alps.
First scientifically described by Linnaeus in 1753, using the Latin word for the plant as the genus. Common names in English have included hig candlewick, Indian rag weed, bullicks lungwort, Adams-rod, spepherd's club, hare's-beard, poor man's blanket, feltwort, and flannel. Mullein itself derives from the French for soft.
Like the previous weeds, native to Europe, western Asia, and parts of northern Africa, but now invasive in most other parts of the world. Surprisingly, not a major weed in cropland - it doesn't tolerate shade from other plants, or tilling. Disturbed soil in sunny areas, on the other hand, is ideal.
These photos were from Tumbarumba in NSW, and Lake Pukaki in NZ.