Myrtle rust found on four sites in and around Nelson
Myrtle rust has been found on ramarama and pōhutukawa trees in and around Nelson city. Severe infections of myrtle rust could kill affected susceptible plants and have long-term impacts on the regeneration of young plants and seedlings. A Ministry of Primary Industries surveillance team found the new infections on four sites in the area recently.
The airborne disease has spread from the North Island and was found in the South Island in Collingwood, Golden Bay earlier this year. Myrtle rust affects plants in the myrtle family, which includes pohutukawa, manuka, rata, kanuka, swamp maire and ramarama, as well as commercially-grown species such as eucalyptus, feijoa and New Zealand cranberry.
The spores are thought to have crossed the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand on wind currents. Over the long term, 10 to 20 years, myrtle rust could affect iconic New Zealand plants including pōhutukawa, mānuka, rātā, kānuka, swamp maire and ramarama, as well as commercially-grown species such as eucalyptus and feijoa.
Severe infections could kill affected susceptible plants and have long-term impacts on the regeneration of young plants and seedlings.
Read the full story here.
Image: MPI
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Wander more, worry less
Few things in life are as enriching as the thrill of travel or the camaraderie among friends. At Ryman’s Bert Sutcliffe Village in Auckland, a group of intrepid travellers have combined the two.
It all began when Bert Sutcliffe Village resident Marie began arranging evenings at the theatre for her neighbours. The theatre enthusiasts soon became close friends and as their friendships developed so did their adventures, expanding their horizons to include long lunches, winery tours, group dinners and adventurous holidays in New Zealand and overseas.
Click read more for the full story.
Light up your life
The Karen Walker Paints collection from Resene will see you sprucing up your home in style with this simple but fun project using your favourite Karen Walker testpot colours. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
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