NEXT MEETING:
MEETING: Monday 2 March 2026 at 7:30 pm. NOTE CHANGE OF DATE DUE TO EASTER MONDAY. At St Alban’s Community Centre, 1049 Colombo Street, Christchurch (parking available at 126 Caledonian Road, see https://www.sacc.org.nz/). NB. We will be in the smaller John Wardle Room (not the main hall). Speaker: Mike Dickison. Topic: Wikipedia for Botanists. What is it?
NEXT FIELD TRIP:
FIELD TRIP: Saturday 7 March 2026. Lakeside Reserve and Taumutu wetlands. A late-summer exploration of the wetlands at Lakeside Reserve and Taumutu, focusing on wetland plant species and their habitats.
Where to meet: Meet at 9 am at the Selwyn District Council carpark on Norman Kirk Drive, Rolleston for carpooling.
Suitability: The terrain is rated as moderate and will involve traversing damp ground and crossing over logs.
What to bring: Lunch, drink bottle/thermos, gum boots or sturdy footwear you don’t mind getting wet, raincoat, warm jacket, sun hat. Optional but encouraged: First aid kit, Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), and mobile phone.
Cost: Suggested petrol reimbursement of $30 to drivers if you get a ride with someone else (calculated from $1/km, 4 to a car).
iNaturalist: Observations are encouraged at Lakeside Reserve (DOC) but please do not post observations on private land without permission from the landowner.
Trip leader/s: Tom Ferguson. Please text 0274716463 if you would like to come on the field trip, so we can let you know if the trip is cancelled.
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.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
FIELD TRIP: Saturday 11 April 2026. Whakanui Beach, South Canterbury.
MEETING: Monday 4 May 2026 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 Peter Heenan (Manaaki Whenua/Landcare Research). Topic: Flora of Niue.
FIELD TRIP: Saturday 9 May 2026. Ashley Forest fungi and kamahi, North Canterbury foothills.
AGM: Monday 8 June 2026 at 7:00 pm. NOTE THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE USUAL DATE AND TIME FOR OUR AGM. 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
MEETING: Monday 6 July 2026 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 Morgan-Tracy Mines (Ecologist, Wildland Consultants, Christchurch). Topic: Morgan will speak about her PhD thesis topic – Carmichaelia in the Mackenzie Basin.
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, while in the warmer months we take advantage of the longer daylight hours to venture further afield.
In November, we usually have a 3-day spring camp held over Show Weekend (Canterbury Anniversary weekend). We sometimes also have a summer camp in January or February. We book affordable accommodation and make daily excursions from this point.
Occasionally we hold workshops on specific topics.
The AGM is held on the first Saturday in June (after King’s Birthday weekend). After the AGM we have a speaker, followed by a shared finger-food lunch.