by Evita Zarina | Jun 15, 2025 | Flora & Fauna, Publications
By Annie HillThe original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka, June 2025 edition Possums were successfully introduced to Aotearoa New Zealand in the 1850s to provide fur, food and ‘sport’. Not particularly valuable in any of those roles, they have...
by Evita Zarina | Jun 6, 2025 | Flora & Fauna, Publications
By Annie HillThe original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka Many Russellites might be surprised to learn that Weka are rare birds, particularly in the North Island. Pycroft, the station master at Opua, wrote a survey of local birds in 1895,...
by Evita Zarina | Jun 6, 2025 | Flora & Fauna, Publications
By Annie HillThe original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka One of our most voracious predators, stoats are a member of the mustelid family, which includes everything from weasels and ferrets (also in New Zealand) through mink and polecats to otters...
by Evita Zarina | Jun 6, 2025 | Flora & Fauna, Publications
By Annie HillThe original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka Although they’ve lived alongside us for centuries, accompanying us as we expanded around the world, enjoying the bounty of our food supplies and homes, people generally dislike rats. Most...
by Evita Zarina | Jun 6, 2025 | Flora & Fauna, Publications
By Annie HillThe original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka Pīwakawaka / fantail is one of the most recognised and loved of our native birds. In Māori mythology, pīwakawaka is a messenger, bringing news of death from the gods to the people. Some...
by Evita Zarina | Jun 6, 2025 | Flora & Fauna, Publications
By Annie HillThe original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka Those of us brought up in Great Britain learned to love hedgehogs when we were children because they often appeared in our books anthropomorphised into attractive personalities. Most people...
