#inaturalistnz — Public Fediverse posts

Here's a short movie I made last month of a NZ giant springtail in action. Well, about as much action as I think giant springtails can muster. Watch it slowly walk about!

One of our undergraduates, Mieke, found it under a rotting log in the Nina Valley forest on one of our ecology field trips. Mieke was (successfully!) channelling her inner Frank Ashwood (@frankashwood) since Frank couldn't be with us on that trip.

Giant springtails are always a treat to find. NZ forests contain a few species of these wee charmers. This one's *Holacanthella duospinosa*.

https://flic.kr/p/2szdpp3

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/397671306

#Collembola #entomology #nz #NinaValley #Holacanthella #LincolnUniversityNZ #iNaturalistNZ

Here's a new long-horn beetle for our house and garden: the NZ endemic *Eburida quadriguttata*.

This one flew into our house yesterday evening and landed next to my computer, so I photographed it. I've been recording all the species in our garden for over 15 years and this is the first time I've seen this species.

It's also the 14th observation of this species from the Christchurch District on #iNaturalist (and those are all the observations from here on #GBIF ).

I'm not sure why it is seen so infrequently. I read that their larvae have been reared from a wide range of native plants, from Clematis and bush lawyer vines to beech and rātā trees. The grubs take two years to develop and emerge from late August, so this one's right on time.

Welcome to our home.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/397135761

#insects #beetles #Coleoptera #nz #iNaturalistNZ #iNaturalist #Cerambycidae

@rnzbot_nz These Wairarapa plants are a big southwards jump in the pasture weed *Senecio madagascariensis*, previously known from the north of NZ. While it seems to be national news today, the plants were first confirmed in the Wairarapa on iNaturalistNZ by talented young NZ botanist Marley Ford in January, and there are seven observations of it so far here on iNat, including a re-identification by Marley of a plant photographed in 2020.

It’s a tricky one to spot as the species is only subtly different in form from the more widespread southern African gravel groundsel, *Senecio skirrhodon*, which is much less problematic for pastoral farmers. The key to telling the species apart is the shape of the bracts at the base of the flowers.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations?nelat=-41.032530047&nelng=175.888055296&swlat=-41.982755499&swlng=174.888299436&taxon_id=168820

#weed #BiologicalInvasions #NZ #Senecio #botany #iNaturalist #iNaturalistNZ

You're not the only one confused by the warming weather. Yesterday I found this harakeke (NZ flax) flowering in the middle of Ōtautahi-Christchurch city, NZ.

They're supposed to flower in October–November. #iNaturalist has only three observations of NZ flaxes in Canterbury flowering in July. Two were in 2025, and now mine, the earliest, in 2026.

While the tauhou (silvereyes) seem pleased to find the nectar, I don't like the chances of this harakeke getting pollinated this year as the other plants near it are not flowering yet.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/378005816

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations?month=7&place_id=8479&taxon_id=51756&term_id=12&term_value_id=13&verifiable=any

#ClimateChange #nature #nz #botany #Phormium #iNaturalistNZ

Today I saw a kārearea (NZ falcon) in Ōtautahi-Christchurch, twice!

I only see kārearea in the city once every few years, yet this morning one whooshed by our house in the Cashmere hills, alarming the local kererū and korimako. Then, in the afternoon, I saw one exploring over Centennial Park (Pioneer Stadium) freaking out a couple of karoro (black-backed gulls). Perhaps it was the same bird.

I got a photo the second time. It has a distinctive notch in its left wing.

Keep a look out if you're in the city.

There have also been sightings of kārearea in May, June, and July between University of Canterbury, Riccarton Bush, and the Botanic Gardens (eating pigeons).

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/377987610

#birds #nz #falcon #kārearea #Christchurch #iNaturalistNZ

Here are two birds from my day, a kererū in a tree at home and a korimako feeding on whaupaku flowers at work.

Also, I found what appears to be the first palm seedling seen in Lincoln, an offspring of a planted Chusan Palm, Trachycarpus fortunei, which naturalises freely further north in NZ.

All added to #iNaturalist:
kererū: https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/374558183
korimako: https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/374558187
Chusan palm seedling: https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/374558184

#iNaturalistNZ #nz #Lincoln #Ōtautahi #Christchurch #birds #nature

I just checked #iNaturalistNZ. We've got 936 observations with photos of kōtukutuku (NZ tree fuchsia) from Canterbury, NZ, between 2007 and now.

Only four of these observations have flowers in June: three observations are this month (2026) and one is June 2025.

Can we please stop turning up the global temperature soon?!!

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations?month=6&place_id=8479&preferred_place_id=6803&subview=map&taxon_id=70228&term_id=12&term_value_id=13

I saw two cabbage white butterflies flying yesterday, which is odd, as this species should be overwintering as a pupa at the moment.

I looked on #iNaturalist for all the observations of adult cabbage white butterflies from June and July in the Canterbury region of NZ.

We launched the NZ community of iNaturalist in 2012 and there are only 11 Canterbury observations of cabbage whites in June or July. One is from 2024, two are from 2025, and 8 are from 2026. It feels like a trend.

Also, notable amongst those observations is a cabbage white seen this month by legendary NZ lepidopterist Brian Patrick. Brian notes "my latest in season - my first Winter records!"

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations?month=6,7&place_id=8479&preferred_place_id=6803&taxon_id=55626&term_id=1&term_value_id=2

#ClimateChange #Lepidoptera #Pieris #NZ #iNaturalist #Canterbury #NZ #iNaturalistNZ #insects #entomology #butterflies

Exciting moth find today!! Will Frost found a Nationally Endangered NZ moth species, the elusive and still not properly named *Scythris* species 'stripe'. This is (about) the eighth time this moth has been recorded, ever.

It's so far only been found on Kaitorete Spit and in the native tusocklands of Christchurch city’s Port Hills. The moths have mostly been seen on flowers of the native *Oxalis exilis*, and this is likely the host plant for its caterpillars.

It's a small but distinctive moth with a stylish stripe, and had previously only been seen in April to late May. Will’s find is the first from June.

Every observation counts as we piece together its natural history and habitat requirements, to figure out how rare it really is and what we can do to help it

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/369223683

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations?nelat=-43.382235713&nelng=173.35958541&preferred_place_id=6803&swlat=-44.013958573&swlng=171.99839583893092&taxon_id=211586

#mothodon #lepidoptera #nz #conservation #EndangeredSpecies #iNaturalistNZ #iNaturalist #Scythris #entomology #insects

Here are five kererū perched up a tree last Wednesday in Cashmere, Ōtautahi, NZ. I saw these while biking into work and just uploaded them to #iNaturalistNZ

While kererū numbers have been gradually climbing in the city, it's still rare that I see five at once. Always a treat.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/367675817

#birds #nz #kererū #iNaturalist

Phew! I just uploaded the last batch of my lowest priority photos that I took during last month's #CityNatureChallenge. While my last batches of observations don't count towards the official tally, they do help map out these species on #iNaturalist.

My personal target for this year's challenge was 700 wild taxa and 7,000 observations in the 4-days. In the end I've uploaded 7,276 observations of 963 taxa, of which 6,857 observations and 868 taxa were wild.

(I reckon 10,000 observations of 1,000 species is probably possible for one person with a lot of planning, even in a relatively low diversity city like Ōtautahi-Christchurch.)

Next week, I'll see if I can finish summarising all the important new finds made in the City Nature Challenge events in Aotearoa-NZ (there were a lot) and write a post about it on iNaturalist NZ.

In the meantime, below are three of my favourites of the photos I uploaded, and a map of my observations from the challenge.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations?d1=2026-04-24&d2=2026-04-27&subview=map&user_id=jon_sullivan&verifiable=any

Spider eating moth: https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/359998244
NZ Tailed Forest Spider: https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/357470468
Mokarakara caterpillar: https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/360057381

#CNC2026 #iNaturalistNZ #nz #ObsessiveNatureWatching

#RNZ has a story today about the Launceston Leioproctus bee, a bee that’s back again in the Ōtautahi-Christchurch area of NZ. This bee had initially been named as a native bee, Leioproctus otautahi, based on a single male specimen collected over 50 years ago, until it was realised that it’s the same species as the Australian bee Leioproctus launcestonensis. Since it hadn’t been seen since, in 2012 NZ bee experts concluded that “the species is almost certainly not established, and the number of species of Leioproctus known from New Zealand is reduced by one to 17.”

Turns out it’s either still here, or it’s arrived again, as five Launceston Leioproctus bees have been photographed in the wider Christchurch area on #iNaturalistNZ since 2021. This is still the only place in NZ where this bee has been found.

It will be interesting to learn how this Australian is getting on with the local native species of Leioproctus.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/environment/596397/bee-species-found-in-christchurch-after-65-years

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations?taxon_id=408737

https://doi.org/10.1080/00779962.2010.9722187

#bees #CitizenScience #entomology #insects #nz #iNaturalist

Another year, another new aphid in town. On the weekend I found a cluster of black aphids feeding on the flower buds of a Japanese aralia in Christchurch, NZ.

They match the description of ivy aphids, a Eurasian native aphid that specialises on ivy and related plants in the Araliaceae family.

The species was first spotted in Auckland in 2015 (on #iNaturalist), and mine is the second record of the species from NZ's South Island. The first was an observation by Libby Stevens in Christchurch in October.

It's worth keeping an eye out for. It would be great if it helped knock back the competitiveness of English ivy, which is a weed here. More worryingly, it's also known overseas to feed on *Schefflera* species, and NZ's endemic patē, seven finger, is *Schefflera digitata*. NZ's whaupaku, five-finger, and horoeka, lancewood, are also in the Araliaceae, so please keep an eye out for any black aphids feeding on these.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/364965581

#insects #biosecurity #aphids #nz #iNaturalistNZ #entomolgy

I found a tūī in Victoria Park this afternoon!

These birds are still rare around Ōtautahi-Christchurch, NZ, so finding one is always a treat.

It put on a grand concert for me too. Have a listen.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/361632658

#birds #nz #tūī #Ōtautahi #Christchurch #iNaturalistNZ

And, in breaking news, here's the first migratory locust ever seen in Lincoln, NZ, seen today by William Harland at 2:30 pm.

This is a widespread cosmopolitan species considered native to NZ, and with the Māori name Kapakapa. In the right conditions elsewhere in the world it reaches pest-level densities.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/360776118

#insects #orthoptera #iNaturalistNZ #locust #grasshoppers

Note that Nathan Odgers photographed a kererū (NZ wood pigeon) at Lincoln this morning. We hardly ever get kererū visiting Lincoln so if you're in the area keep an eye out for it.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/360723528

#birds #nz #Lincoln #kererū #iNaturalistNZ

Here's my favourite observation of my finds on day one of the City Nature Challenge. It's a tailed forest spider, a NZ endemic species. It's an elegant teardrop-shaped small spider.

This is the first time I've found one in our garden, making it the 820th species for our garden. It's also a first for our neighbourhood on iNaturalist.

Welcome.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/357470468

#cnc2026 #iNaturalistNZ #spiders

The City Nature Challenge is still in full swing. We're seven days away from the deadline of 10 May, for uploading and identifing all the photos and audio recordings made on 24–27 April.

I've just finished uploading my photos from 24 April, which was a bike into work and back, a bioblitz on the university campus with students, then a moth light on my deck at home. (That’s 1,498 observations of 359 species from me.) Now I move onto my Saturday, where I surveyed my garden then went for a run around the neighbourhood, then another moth light. The, I’ll be onto Sunday's epic guided walk from the hills to the centre of the city.

If you're watching the results unfold, Te Upoko o te Ika (Wellington) is a just an whisker ahead of Ōtautahi-Christchurch at the moment for the NZ city with the most observations. The NZ total so far is 4,627 species and 58,506 observations, made by 1,738 people. It’s pretty epic.

With still a week of identifying and uploading to go, those numbers are going to continue to climb (they went up by over 200 observations while I was typing this).

If you took photos of nature in your city on 24–27 April, uploading them to #iNaturalist will contribute to the challenge. It's a great way to contribute to this global snapshot of nature in our cities.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/projects/city-nature-challenge-2026-aotearoa-new-zealand

https://www.inaturalist.nz/projects/city-nature-challenge-2026

#cnc2026 #iNaturalistNZ

The #CityNatureChallenge is still in full swing. While the four days of observing have passed, everyone's now uploading photos and identifying the species in all the observations, The closing date is 10 May.

Globally the CNC has already topped 2.6 million observations. Here in Aotearoa-NZ 1,715 people have so far uploaded 54,265 observations of 4,494 species, with Wellington currently our leading city.

If you took any nature photos between Friday and Monday, 24–27 April, there's still time to upload them to #iNaturalist and have them count towards the challenge.

Me, I've just finished geotagging all my photos in #darktable using my GPS tracks and need to do some photo cropping before I start uploading batches of photos to the iNaturalist website.

The event is a long way from over. 🙂

https://www.inaturalist.nz/projects/city-nature-challenge-2026-aotearoa-new-zealand

https://www.inaturalist.nz/projects/city-nature-challenge-2026

#iNaturalistNZ #nz #nature #CitizenScience

On Sunday 26 April, I'll be leading another nature walk in Ōtautahi-Christchurch, this time from the Sign of the Takahe to the Botanic Gardens. That's part of the four-day City Nature Challenge.

It's a terrific walk designed to take us through many of the city's nature filled nooks and crannies.

Again, all welcome. We leave from the Sign of the Takahe (by the bus stop for the No 1 Cashmere bus) at 9:45 am.

If you don't have the time to commit to the full walk, you can join us for the first part walking to the South Library, or from the South Library to the Art Gallery, or for the final stint from the Art Gallery to the Botanic Gardens.

Below are some photos from the previous two years we've done this walk.

https://ccc.govt.nz/news-and-events/whats-on/event/takahe-to-taone-hikoi-2

#CityNatureChallenge #Ōtautahi #Christchurch #NZ #NatureWalk #iNaturalistNZ

If you're in Ōtautahi-Christchurch city, NZ, next Sunday, and are keen for a nature walk, well, you're in luck!

As part of the city's annual Walking Festival, Noah Fenwick and I will be leading a walk/explore around Waikākāriki Horseshoe Lake. We're two local iNaturalist fanatics and ecologists and are keen to see what we can find around this restored city wetland.

The walk starts at 10 am and will go for about three hours.

All welcome!

https://ccc.govt.nz/news-and-events/whats-on/event/nature-walk-through-waikakariki-horseshoe-lake

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations?place_id=109378&subview=map

#NatureWalk #Ōtautahi #Christchurch #iNaturalistNZ

There's a new fly in town.

While out for a run yesterday, in Ōtautahi-Christchurch, NZ, I noticed this unusual orange-headed black fly. I uploaded my photos to #iNaturalist when I got home and learned that it's the Australian Soldier Fly, *Inopus rubriceps*. This looks to be the first record of it anywhere in the South Island south of Nelson.

The species is a minor pasture pest and is well-established in NZ's North Island, where it was first seen in 1944.

As the world warms, NZ continues to fill with Australian insects. They first establish in the North Island then spread southwards. The pattern is repeating over and over. In this case, the two Australian parasitoid wasps (Neurogalesus spp.) that feed on *Inopus rubriceps* have also already established in the North Island.

*Inopus rubriceps* is a distinctive fly, especially the female which has the orange head (the male is all black). Keep an eye out and you might find some more of them.

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/347771177

#Diptera #entomology #iNaturalistNZ #invasionBiology #insects #nz #Christchurch #fly

It's that time again in Ōtautahi-Christchurch, NZ, when the fruit on the te kouka cabbage trees are at peak ripeness. That brings in the kererū to parts of the city.

Here are some of my photos of kererū eating te kouka fruit in the city from this long weekend. It includes what I think is the first time I've seen a kererū on Rose Street (that's on one of my fortnightly survey routes, which I've run since 2008).

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/347375376

#kererū #Ōtautahi #Christchurch #nz #birds #iNaturalistNZ #frugivory #UrbanEcology #nature

While helping out Heidi Allan with her field work earlier in the week, crossing NZ's South Island, I also (of course) counted nature along the way and took photos of notable species I found. I've uploaded some of them to #iNaturalist.

When it comes to little things like insects and smaller plants, Aotearoa-New Zealand is still in the early stages of exploration. It's almost trivially easy to make important observations. There's so much still to document.

Here are five of the most notable things I found on our three day trip.

The first record of a showy mistletoe species between Hanmer Springs and Kaikoura (Yellow Mistletoe at Mount Terako): https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/343867527

The first observation of the pretty little fly *Maorina gourlayi* from North Canterbury (the 5th observation from anywhere on iNaturalist and 15th on GBIF): https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/343609762

The 1st record of the rare native earthworm-eating snail *Wainuia edwardi* from Mount Terako, and 37th observation on iNat: https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/343863343

The 1st record of a Bobilla cricket from Westport: https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/343677893

The 1st record of steelblue ladybirds in Westport and the 2nd anywhere on the West Coast: https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/343677847

#iNaturalistNZ #biodiversity #nz

"x" marks the moth!

Usually moths have sweeping curves and circles in their markings. Not so *Eudonia asterisca*, an aptly named NZ-endemic moth. It has a distinctive "x" mark on each forewing.

I photographed this moth at a moth light in the North Canterbury mountains. There are 211 observations of this moth on iNaturalist so far, mostly in the mountains, from throughout the country.

I don't know what its caterpillars eat. (I'm not sure if anyone knows, as it's not listed in NZ's Plant-SyNZ database and all iNat observations are of adults.)

https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/342713940

#mothodon #moths #Lepidoptera #entomology #nz #iNaturalistNZ

Here's another NZ moth wing for you.

This one is from a particularly elegant colour morph of a NZ Green Carpet Owlet (*Ichneutica plena*). Usually they're greener than this.

(I'm continuing to have fun uploading my big backlog of moth photos to #iNaturalist. Caution: there will be more moth photos.)

Whole moth on #iNaturalistNZ: https://www.inaturalist.nz/observations/342710304
Full-size on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/55144902646/

#mothodon #moths #Lepidoptera #insects #entomology #photography #nz

On Friday I saw my first Buddleja weevils in Ōtautahi-Christchurch, NZ. This is a biocontrol agent purposefully introduced into NZ to control butterfly bush, *Buddleja davidii*, which had been spreading out-of-control through much of the country.

Until recently it's been a bit too cold in Christchurch for Buddleja weevils to thrive. No longer, apparently.

The first Christchurch observation of Buddleja weevils on iNaturalist was in March last year. Mine is now the 6th observaton from the city.

The larvae are distinctive yellow jelly slugs, and the adult weevils are brown.

Keep an eye out for them on a butterfly bush near you.

As the climate warms, weeds are pushing southwards. At least it's good to know that their biocontrol agents are doing the same.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations?place_id=129542&preferred_place_id=6803&subview=map&taxon_id=1607464&verifiable=any

https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/discover-our-research/managing-invasive-species/weed-biocontrol/projects-agents/biocontrol-agents/buddleia-leaf-weevil

#weeds #WeedBiocontrol #biocontrol #nz #weevils #beetles #entomology #iNaturalist #iNaturalistNZ

One of the highlights of my day was when William Harland, a talented ecology undergrad here at #LincolnUniversityNZ, stopped by my office to show me his photos of temnocephalid flatworms. These distinctive squat tentacled flatworms live in colonies on NZ's freshwater crayfish, koura, and eat scraps left over when the koura feed. They apparently cause no bother to the koura.

William found these at Poolburn Reservoir in central Otago.

Amazing!

The photo is CC-BY William Harland: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/341041723
Here are more photos of these crazy flatworms on #iNaturalistNZ: https://inaturalist.nz/observations?verifiable=true&taxon_id=868829&place_id=6803&preferred_place_id=6803

#invertebrates #flatworms #NaturalHistory #NZ #Freshwater #crayfish #crustaceans #nature #crayfish

Here's an excellent moth from my backlog that I just uploaded to #iNaturalist

It's the Purerehua, or South Island Lichen Moth, *Ipana egregia*. It's a large NZ endemic moth restricted to the South Island that blends in well with lichens on rocks.

This is the moth also seen on the NZ hundred dollar note.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/340498358

#mothodon #moths #Lepidoptera #entomology #iNaturalistNZ

Check out this outrageous NZ harvestman photographed by Sebastian Doak earlier this month near Charleston on the west coast of the South Island.

It's called Algidia viridata ssp. bicolor (yes, another incredible endemic NZ invertebrate still lacking a catchy common name). I've never seen one, but I want to!

The photos on the observation are CC-BY Sebastian Doak.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/337191626

#entomology #nz #Opiliones #harvestman #green #iNaturalistNZ #iNaturalist