NEXT MEETING:

MEETING: Monday 7 May 2025 at 7:30 pm. At St Alban’s Community Centre, 1049 Colombo Street, Christchurch (parking available at 126 Caledonian Road, see https://www.sacc.org.nz/). Speaker: Nicholas Head (Ecologist, Christchurch City Council). Topic: The five wonders of the world in Canterbury (that you may never see). This talk looks at some of the lesser known ecological wonders in Canterbury that have little or no protection. It challenges the current political narrative that “the pendulum has swung too far toward conservation” and the misunderstanding apparent that too much land is locked up by DOC. Nicholas is a plant ecologist who has been involved with the protection of our natural heritage for over 30 years. He has been involved in many major conservation initiatives and has continually been on the front line to save natural areas from destruction. He was awarded the Loder Cup in 2013.

Covid-19 Notice: Canterbury Botanical Society committee encourages members to take measures to reduce transmission risk of Covid-19 (and other respiratory illnesses) at Bot Soc events. Face coverings/masks and normal Covid-19 precautions (e.g. physical distancing where possible) are welcomed. Please do not attend Bot Soc meetings or field trips if you have Covid or any cold/flu symptoms.

NEXT FIELD TRIP:

FIELD TRIP: Saturday 10 May 2025. Staveley forests – managed restoration and fungi in the Totty forest and Staveley camp forest remnants. An opportunity to revisit Totty’s Bush, a small stand of mountain beech on a Beechwood farm on the very western edge of the Canterbury Plains, at Staveley. Farmer Alan Totty registered a QEII Trust covenant over the bush block in 1983. In 1982 the Botanical Society adopted the Beechwood covenant as a project. Members measured every tree and made a species list of 62 plant species. In 1995 Dr Colin Burrows organised the Society members to carry out a similar survey. Forty-three years on Alan continues to care for his bush, weeding, trapping and killing wasps. Alan will show us the techniques he has devised to increase the bush cover and the Society will check the current plants and abundance against the 1982 and 1995 list, and hopefully add in autumn fungi (see reference below).

In the afternoon we will visit the Staveley Camp bush, also a rare remnant of upper Plains beech forest. Manager Gen de Spa will explain the impact of exotic weeds on the bush and the huge effort underway to remove sycamore, rowan, cotoneaster, Darwin’s barberry and more. Gen has added new discoveries to an iNaturalist project to update the plant species list in Neil O’Brien and Colin Burrow’s 1995 survey report (see references below).
Where to meet: Meet for carpooling at 8:30 am in the Yaldhurst Hotel car park (on the south side of the Old West Coast Road, 100 metres past the Pound Road round-about). 
Suitability: Easy walking on untracked, flat ground.
What to bring: Lunch, drink bottle/thermos, boots/sturdy footwear, warm jacket, raincoat, warm hat, sun hat, gloves.
Cost: Suggested petrol reimbursement of $44 to drivers if you get a ride with someone else (calculated from $1/km, 4 to a car).
Trip leader/s: Alice Shanks. Please email fieldtrips@canterburybotanicalsociety.org.nz or phone/text ring 027-366-1246 if you intend to come along, so we can let you know if the trip is cancelled.
References:
O’Brien N. 1984: Totty’s Bush – A Society Project. Canterbury Botanical Society Journal 18: 7-9. https://bts.nzpcn.org.nz/site/assets/files/22272/cant_1984_18__7-9.pdf

Burrows C. 1995: Sawmill Road Bush, Bowyers Stream, Staveley, Mid-Canterbury. Canterbury Botanical Society Journal 29: 47-56. https://bts.nzpcn.org.nz/site/assets/files/22464/cant_1995_29__47-56.pdf

O’Brien N. and Burrows C. 1995: Totty’s Bush revisited. Canterbury Botanical Society Journal 29: 57-62. https://bts.nzpcn.org.nz/site/assets/files/22465/cant_1995_29__57-62.pdf

Staveley camp website: https://staveleycamp.co.nz and iNaturalist project: https://inaturalist.nz/projects/staveley-camp

UPCOMING EVENTS:

CANTERBURY BOTANICAL SOCIETY AGM: Saturday 7 June 2025 at 10:30 am. At St Alban’s Community Centre, 1049 Colombo Street, Christchurch (parking available at 126 Caledonian Road, see https://www.sacc.org.nz/). Followed by a talk and a shared lunch.

The business of the AGM is:
– to confirm the 2024 AGM minutes,
– adopt the annual report, and the annual financial report,
– present a summary of the 2024 conflicts of interest made by Officers during the previous year,
– set subs for the current year,
– consider any motions received via prior notice from members,
– general business, including Election of Officers.

Please note: Only financial members may speak and vote, either in person or by a signed original written proxy (no emails or copies) received by the committee before the AGM starts.

MEETING: Monday 7 July 2025 at 7:30 pm. At St Alban’s Community Centre, 1049 Colombo Street, Christchurch (parking available at 126 Caledonian Road, see https://www.sacc.org.nz/). Speakers: Dr Lara Shepherd (Science Researcher, Te Papa) and Dr Leon Perrie (Botany Curator, Te Papa). Topic: Aciphylla is one of the largest indigenous vascular plant genera in Aotearoa New Zealand, with about 40 species. The larger species are an often prominent and iconic feature of our tussocklands and the bane of trampers. Despite the ecological and cultural significance of Aciphylla, the taxonomy of the genus has not been comprehensively revised since 1956, and there are many outstanding issues. Lara and Leon will provide an introduction to the genus and the taxonomic problems they are hoping to resolve.

FIELD TRIP: Saturday 12 July 2025. Hidden Treasures of Kainga.

MEETING: Monday 4 August 2025 at 7:30 pm. At St Alban’s Community Centre, 1049 Colombo Street, Christchurch (parking available at 126 Caledonian Road, see https://www.sacc.org.nz/). Speaker: Dr Matiu Prebble (University of Canterbury). Topic: New insights from unearthing stumps from former Christchurch forests.

FIELD TRIP: Saturday 9 August 2025. Wakanui Beach.

MEETING: Monday 1 September 2025 at 7:30 pm. At St Alban’s Community Centre, 1049 Colombo Street, Christchurch (parking available at 126 Caledonian Road, see https://www.sacc.org.nz/). Speaker: TBA. Topic: TBA.

FIELD TRIP: Saturday 6 September 2025. TBA

MEETING: Monday 6 October 2025 at 7:30 pm. At St Alban’s Community Centre, 1049 Colombo Street, Christchurch (parking available at 126 Caledonian Road, see https://www.sacc.org.nz/). Speaker: TBA. Topic: TBA.

FIELD TRIP: Saturday 11 October 2025. TBA.

MEETING: Monday 3 November 2025 at 7:30 pm. At St Alban’s Community Centre, 1049 Colombo Street, Christchurch (parking available at 126 Caledonian Road, see https://www.sacc.org.nz/). Speaker: TBA. Topic: TBA.

FIELD TRIP: Canterbury Anniversary Weekend Spring Camp. Friday 14 – Sunday 16 November 2025. TBA.

MEETING: Monday 1 December 2025 at 7:30 pm. At St Alban’s Community Centre, 1049 Colombo Street, Christchurch (parking available at 126 Caledonian Road, see https://www.sacc.org.nz/). Speaker: Dr Phil Garnock-Jones (Emeritus Professor, Victoria University of Wellington). Topic: Natural history of New Zealand flowers.

FIELD TRIP: Saturday 6 December 2025. TBA.

ABOUT CANTERBURY BOTANICAL SOCIETY MEETINGS & FIELD TRIPS

The Society holds monthly evening meetings, usually on the first Monday of each month. Meetings start at 7.30 pm. We organise a speaker and follow the meeting with an informal supper and chat. We have been exploring new venues to hold our evening meetings, so please check the meeting notices to confirm where meetings will be held.

Information for speakers
The meeting room has a data projector (and cable) but you need to bring your own laptop or advise the meeting organiser that they need to bring one. Please check that your laptop is able to connect to an external projector.

Field trips are usually held on the Saturday following the evening meeting. Trips in the winter months are to places closer to Christchurch and in the warmer months we take advantage of the longer daylight hours to venture further afield.

We have a week-long summer camp in January or February, and visit places which are too far to access from Christchurch for a day trip. We book affordable accommodation and make daily excursions from this point.

In spring we usually have a long weekend camp over Show Weekend (Canterbury Anniversary weekend) in November.

Occasionally we hold workshops on specific topics.

The AGM is held on the first Saturday after Queen’s Birthday weekend. After the AGM we have a speaker, followed by a shared finger food lunch.