We awoke the next morning to freezing cold frost, and a beautiful day once again. I couldn't walk past this tarn without taking a photo. Today I was to be working with Donna, mapping
Powelliphanta snail populations. This involved getting down and dirty, and searching through the decaying leaf matter underneath various grass species. It wasn't for the faint hearted with spiders, slugs, insects and giant native worms to be found! Snail populations on Mount Taranaki are fairly small and isolated, probably because of the effects of eruptions and ashfalls over the last 1000 years or so. In science, often it is just as important knowing what is not present, as well as what is present.
This day we did not find any
Powelliphanta but we did find lots of other critters, a smaller snail variety, and this slug which carries a little shell on its back. Again, it was an opportunity to see "what lies beneath". Unfortunately, with little to carry beyond my own pack this time, I had to walk out, rather than catch a scenic flight!
We awoke the next morning to freezing cold frost, and a beautiful day once again. I couldn't walk past this tarn without taking a photo. Today I was to be working with Donna, mapping Powelliphanta snail populations. This involved getting down and dirty, and searching through the decaying leaf matter underneath various grass species. It wasn't for the faint hearted with spiders, slugs, insects and giant native worms to be found! Snail populations on Mount Taranaki are fairly small and isolated, probably because of the effects of eruptions and ashfalls over the last 1000 years or so. In science, often it is just as important knowing what is not present, as well as what is present.
This day we did not find any Powelliphanta but we did find lots of other critters, a smaller snail variety, and this slug which carries a little shell on its back. Again, it was an opportunity to see "what lies beneath". Unfortunately, with little to carry beyond my own pack this time, I had to walk out, rather than catch a scenic flight!
Oh, yeah - still lovin' that mountain/reflection landscape image - beautiful shot, Paaat!
ReplyDeleteThanks Miiiike, it was a privilege to be there!
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