Grasslands

Plant life

Where fenced areas stop animals from grazing the vegetation, plants indigenous to the area have started to regenerate, such as the prostrate kowhai, oleaeria, carex, porcupine shrub, New Zealand broom and matagouri.

The initial stages of vegetation succession can be seen in the dry riverbeds where the river has changed course, or areas where the water table has dropped, leaving behind dry stones. Mosses, lichens, cushion plants and small herbs are the first plants to colonise the dry stones. Around these plants wind blown dust and dirt settles, and soils begin to form, enabling other plants to become established.

Wildlife

The plains are rich in animal life with 229 insect species recently identified in a single survey of which more than 150 of these are indigenous to New Zealand, such as the small black field cricket and sod webworm moths.

One of the more unusual insects to live on the plains is the kiwaia ‘plains jumper’ moth. This is a flightless moth, which is active during the day and has non-functioning wings.

Finches and magpies are the more common birds seen on the grasslands, with occasional sightings of the harrier hawk (kahu), grey warbler, spur-winged plover and wrybill (ngutu-parore).

The wrybill (ngutu-parore) is the only bird in the world that has a beak that bends to the right. The wrybill feeds along riverbeds and the right-bent beak helps it to probe under stones in search of insects. The wrybill’s main breeding grounds are in the riverbeds of South Canterbury, with some pairs nesting along the Waimakariri River. In the winter the wrybills fly to the North Island, returning to Canterbury in August to September.