Mt Cheeseman – Alpine Plants -Saturday 14 December
By Bob Wright
Five intrepid Photographers lead by Nadine with Bob, James, Ian and Marilyn (new members), challenged the weather to do its worst, leaving early on Saturday 21 December from Christchurch for the 8.30am meetup at the access road to the Mt Cheesman ski field. Five vehicles reduced to 2 setting off on time for the climb up to the ski field clubhouse.
I was a little worried what the day would give as on the drive up there was thick fog from Courtenay. Thankfully it cleared at the Kowai River crossing and the whole day turned out great.
The morning was spent exploring above the clubhouse to come across masses of button daisies (Leptonella) , a few small Penwipers, flowering aciphilla, accompanied by the various insects that feed on the flowers, and a variety of others typical of the scree and adjacent patches of tussock.
Nadine, Marilyn and I had lunch about noon, James and Ian having left by then for “other duties” in town. The large car park environment below the clubhouse did not reveal any additional scree type plants although I would like to see the Senicio when it flowers in about 7 to 10 days.
The ridge out to the solar panel has the usual ground hugging plants and lichen. For me the crawl down the road was most interesting with the variety of scree plants: Stellaria, Myosotis and numerous juvenile penwipers.
