Morepork

Yesterday on Ulva we came across a pair of Morepork, New Zealands one remaining native owl.

Two Morepork

The pair …. I suspect an adult and a juvenile …. were roosting on a low branch. The juvenile kept very still, but the adult would occasionally stretch and preen, all the while looking quite disdainfully down it’s beak at us. Morepork are often heard around the village, but being nocturnal  we don’t often see them. Often we’ll hear a commotion from a group of bellbirds and find the flock monstering a disgruntled morepork who is just trying to sleep.

Hebe elliptica

Hebe elliptica... white form

One of our more common coastal shrubs is the attractive Hebe elliptica, and at this time of year it’s flowering quite prolifically. A guest remarked on the blooms, in that some plants had all white blooms, and others a delicate shade of blue, and yet others had both.

As so often happen, things which for us are just part of the scenery are often quite remarkable for our guests.

Hebe elliptica ... blue form

H. elliptica makes an interesting garden plant, although it can get a bit “leggy”. It is very hardy, and copes with poor soils and exposure, as one would expect from a coastal plant.