TREES AND PLANTS
The upper Wainuioru valley has some precious remants of the native trees and plants that used to cover most of the Wairarapa.
Besides some good stretches of totara and smaller numbers of other large trees, we have valuable smaller trees and plants, even a few that are nationally endangered.
One exceptional find was made five years ago close to the Whakatahine stream. It was of the largest known population of Olearia gardneri, Gardner's tree daisy, which was officially listed as "threatened – nationally critical". Until then, only about 160 plants were known in the wild, most in the Rangitikei region with a few on scattered sites in the Wairarapa.
Then in 2013 the QEII National Trust's regional representative, Trevor Thompson, was examining the potential for covenanting of a block of bush on Pariroa farm and discovered the rare plant. The surprising find was confirmed by three expert botanists.
Eventual counting of 374 specimens more than tripled the number of known plants. Importantly, unlike at other Wairarapa sites, they included seedlings and saplings.
The Department of Conservation says Olearia gardneri supports at least nine moth species and that it may have a pivotal role in helping to heal land slips, being replaced by larger forest trees over time.
Links:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/conservation/native-plants/olearia/olearia-gardnerii-factsheet.pdf