A haiku

I dont often write poetry, but I felt like this picture deserved one. Cherry blossoms, from the edge of the Tulip garden in Tonami, Japan.

Soft in the warm light

 Twirling, dancing, daintily

Spring is upon us

Tree Sniffing Dogs

Dogs are fascinating creatures. Dogs can detect 5 times more scents than we humans can, and this has been used to great effect - simply check out Dog Squad on our local tv screens! Dogs sniffing drugs, bombs, cash, fruit... All sorts of things that our Biosecurity Control Team do not wish to have in the country.

But now, dogs, well one dog in particular, have been trained to sniff out something that is rife within our Northland forests...  Similar to how pigs are used to sniff out where tasty truffle fungi are hiding, this dog (named Paddy) can sniff out Phytophthora taxon Agathis, a water mould, that is killing Kauri trees (Agathis australis).

Our taonga -“Kauri are one of the largest rainforest trees on earth and they are to New Zealand what the pyramids are to Egypt and Stonehenge and cathedrals are to England,” Stephen King, Northland

Phytophthora taxon Agathis (PTA)

Now I love most fungi, and I know that they can be helpful to organisms in a forest system - help with decomposing old wood, fallen leaves, and fresh edible mushrooms are a treat not to be missed! But PTA is not to be messed with. The spores of this microbe infect the root systems of our ancient Kauri, damaging the tissues that send nutrients around the tree. The roots start to rot. Then the tree dies.

A happy, healthy Kauri tree, Waipoua Forest, Northland, New Zealand

Which is why is it of utmost importance when visiting the Waipoua Forest to always clean your shoes, and stay on the track! Leaving a designated path, or boardwalk, for a few steps to get a picture with these awesome trees can spread PTA and kill a tree that might be 1000's of years old...

Heres hoping that Paddy, the kauri sniffing dog can help 'stop the spread' until we find a cure. You can find an excellent overview of infected areas, with further information, if you click below:

 Kauri Dieback Disease

Tane Mahuta, God of the Forest. Slowly dying, but approximately 2000 years old. 

Hey Rocket, this one is about when I visited Kanazawa... Japan, Part Two

Here is a second instalment of my adventure in Japan!

I am not as talented a photographer as Michelle (make sure you check her blog, she might have posted some new photos..!)

(Or not, and I am just teasing)

However, let me tell you about when I visited Kanazawa.

Kanazawa is known for its gold leaf - and it is on everything! Icecream, in my tea, painted onto buildings, jewellery, iPhone cases.... But it was a beautiful place beyond all the gilding, straight out of a japanese legend.

It started with the Botanic Gardens, (partly covered in Japan, Part One), then I crossed the road to visit the Kanazawa Castle. It was inhabited by a Shogun, and a whole bunch of samurai during the Edo period. The steps were all uneven in case they were attacked - to trip up the enemy samurai who were unfamiliar with the castle. The castle tower was built in a diamond shape. 300 years ago, when all they used were interlocking bits of wood, they created a perfect, 3-level tower with corners at 100 and 80 degrees! (And it was recreated more recently as the original had burnt down).

100 degree corner! The tower was a perfect diamond! Mind = blown.

Lets see  you run up/down these stairs first time, without tripping, while defending samurai threw rocks at you...

Mr Noburo Orito telling us about how this castle was prosperous for 350 years during the Edo Period. He is gesturing to the wife of Maeda Toshiie, who volunteered to live in Tokyo as a hostage to help keep things peaceful between the ruling power, and the great city that was Kanazawa!

Botanic medical garden - Kanazawa castle was briefly used as a university. Here, Mr Noburo told us about the use of bamboo to preserve rice. The rice can be wrapped in bamboo leaf, which in combination with vinegar used in cooking the rice, helps keep it delicious for longer. When an earlier visitor asked Mr Noburo if he ate the bamboo as well as the rice, his response, "Panda eat bamboo. I am not panda".

My friend and I were given a personal tour, in english, by Mr. Noboru Orito. He was incredibly knowledgeable about Kanazawa, and had a soft spot for New Zealand and Kiwis.

Kanazawa Castle, seen from near the storage building where weapons were kept.

After visiting the castle, I went on to see the Museum of Gold Leaf and the geisha district. Kanazawa was incredible, the streets narrow, with new temples, shrines and interesting food in windows to see around every corner. I felt like a giant, white stranger a lot of the time (which I guess I was), in a city that was a mix of traditional and modern buildings, that smelt of river water and traffic, sounded like bicycle bells ringing and people moving, with an ice cream that tasted delicious and creamy, despite being dusted with gold flakes!

Next up: Kyoto. Where I didnt get lost, but I communicated with deer.

Dear Rocket, A story about Japan... Part One: Plants

Rocket, you know I travelled to Japan to attend Arctic Science Summit Week, 21 - 30th April, 2015.

I ventured out into the countryside, a kiwi keen to learn more about various Shogun and Emperors, while sampling the local food that left me feeling stuffed - and nervous about what a whole firefly squid might do in my belly!

(Lets be real, I know it will be digested, but eating it whole was certainly an experience....)

Koi carp were common in the ponds and water features - it was striking to see them contemplated so quietly, while here in NZ, they are a massive pest!

Koi carp in Toyama Castle park. Came up to say hello and nibble my fingers!

Then all of the other carp arrived, things got a bit messy... I removed my fingers from the water, and left smelling of fishy pond water

The conference was extremely interesting, but on my day off, I found something which delighted this botanist's senses... The Tonami Tulip Fair! The Dutch probably wouldnt be impressed, but I found it so colourful, it smelt like hot summery days and looked like a vibrant rainbow!

I spent a few moments watching the cherry blossoms sway in the warm breeze!

The Sakura, or Cherry Blossoms, were blooming at their best in Toyama before I arrived, I managed to catch these in a shady spot of the tulip fair! The Sakura 'front' moves from south to north in the Spring - then in Autumn, the Autumn leaf 'front' moves back down the country from north to south.

In the Botanic Gardens in Kanazawa, I saw trees, with all their branches propped up! Turns out, when it snows in Winter, the boughs of the trees can snap under the weight of all the flakes of frozen water. Using poles to hold them up = problem solved! Long-lived trees with fascinating scaffolding.