Related: Our 10-Day South Island NZ Highlights Tour allows you plenty of time to enjoy Lake Tekapo! Gardeners are those most often moving these plants around the globe, so the onus is on us to be aware. The judges quite rightly praised it highly: This picture is totally immersive and a joy to behold. The lupins that look so beautiful are actually a non-native, invasive species. plant or vegetation that interferes with the objectives of farming or forestry The bright and vibrant plants make the most beautiful photos and are pretty easy to spot. With the places mentioned above, your Lupin road trip will be one to remember! As gardeners, we relish the idea of a new and exciting plant for our gardens, but we are quick to throw such a plant out when it starts to take over. Every year from mid-November to December vast areas along riverbeds of Mackenzie Country at the South Island burst with color and fragrance. Who really understood that a plant bred in France from two South African species would end up on schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981, other than the gardener that couldn’t bear the orange glare of the montbretia (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora) that had taken over their garden any longer and fly-tipped it into a Cornish hedgerow? Lake Tekapo is easily the most famous place in New Zealand to see Lupins. My favourite spots are closer to Glenorchy than Queenstown but the best part about this place is that you can find your own unique place to enjoy them! Mount Cook Road is a famous stretch of highway that leads to the Mount Cook Village in Mt Cook National Park. Many of these invaders form an important part of the ecosystem, don’t they? In New Zealand, where it is known as the Russell lupin, Lupinus polyphyllus is classed as an invasive species and covers large areas next to roadsides, pastures and riverbeds, especially in the Canterbury region. Around the lake, there are hundreds of places to see them and you can even see them at the famous Wanaka Tree! Colonising streambanks, just like in the picture, they are taking over a habitat so important for New Zealand’s unique wildlife. save hide report. They are native to North and South America, North Africa and the Mediterranean. A similar spread of the species has occurred in Finland after the non-native species was first deliberately planted in the landscapingalong the main roads. Lupins aren’t native to the area — they were stealthily planted by local woman Connie Scott around 70 years ago in order to brighten the place up a bit. From purple to pink and every shade in between, the Lupins here are really something special! It made me react and left me questioning it and the world it depicted – It made me look deeper at the garden that is our planet and affirmed the importance of gardeners to it. The Russell lupin is an exotic plant, native to North America, which can grow to the height of 1.5 m. The reason? Although beautiful, they are considered an invasive species and some effort is taken to keep Lupin numbers under control around New Zealand. Botanical name: Lupinus. Also widespread is Lupinus arboreus, a yellow-flowering variety that is a pernicious weed in New Zealand riverbeds. Was it right to allow a photograph of a non-native, invasive species win such a competition? Get adventurous in Wanaka and take a drive, you’re sure to find a beautiful patch of Lupins with a stunning backdrop! Subsequently, question is, why are lupins named after Wolf? They out-compete with native plants and choke nesting habitats for birds. The Mackenzie Basin includes places like Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo, Lindis Pass, and Twizel. With the onslaught of climate change ahead, are we not likely to see more species spreading to the UK and making this their home? But what are Lupins and where can you find the most beautiful locations to see them? Flowering of Lupins in Lake Tekapo, New Zealand Kaushik Patowary Mar 28, 2013 7 comments Lake Tekapo is the second-largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand. 1.1k. New Zealand lies within marram's native latitudes of 30 to 63 degrees 2 providing a temperate climate that it favours 3. In some parts of New Zealand there are large tracts of Russell lupins which grow by the roadsides. Searching for Lupins near Lake Tekapo We’d seen a few photos of lupins in Lake Tekapo and had always been inspired to see them for ourselves. Lupins in New Zealand are an introduced species of Lupin called Russell Lupins. Thousands of lupins cover the landscape with purple, pink, yellow and blue hues. It’s one of the most beautiful drives in NZ and a place you can spot Lupins. Tree lupin (Lupinus arboreus) Most common lupin species in New Zealand The Russell lupin, Lupinus polyphyllus, hailing from North America, and used in a hybridisation program that subsequently gave it increased vigour, is such a mild-mannered and quintessential cottage garden plant here in the UK and a complete thug in New Zealand. Would our meadows be quite so rich without snakeshead fritillaries or our corn fields so iconic without red poppies? Funny enough, Russell Lupins are actually a breed of a few different Lupins that were created by George Russell in the UK after they were too introduced in the 1820s. Lupins are not a native species to New Zealand. Lupin or Lupine is any species of the genus Lupinus, annual or perennial herbs or shrubs of the family Leguminosae. The shrubs are less commonly grown … In a world that is changing faster than some species are able to keep up with, we need to be vigilant by judging each and every species on its own merits or failures. Along this stretch of road you can see Lupins of all colours. There it is: the word naturalised. Weeds threatening native flora and fauna on Matiu/Somes Island in Wellington Harbour. I want to step into it and live out the rest of my days in the bliss of that dream. It’s a time when these stunning flowers, bloom along the riverbeds and lakes around New Zealand, putting on a spectacular show. Lupins have been planted in some parts of Australia with a considerably cooler climate, par… New Zealand lupins at sunset. Close. Especially among visitors. We should minimise the risks where we can, and see the potential of what could turn out to be the next knotweed, balsam, montbretia or lupin. A large lake on the South Island is one of the three parallel lakes in the area. From forget-me-nots to the native Rautini growing up to eight-metres tall, a trip to the secluded island is a nature-lover’s dream and the perfect place to get back to Aotearoa’s roots. The best shots we find are down by the lupins, a pretty flower that comes in different shades of purple, purple and white, yellow and pink. Certainly in New Zealand the lupins bring tourists from all around to Lake Tekapo and command a not insignificant income for the region. WELLINGTON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- It is time for the blossom of Russel lupins in New Zealand's South Island, which is a well-known tourism attraction at this time of the year. To me this is the place where you’ll likely see the most Lupins in once place – they are literally everywhere! Thanks to Peter Johns, Zoology dept., University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand for compiling this information. New Zealand, New Zealand Lupins: Where to Find Them and Why They’re Special, Covid-19: What We’re Doing to Keep You Safe, 9-Day South Island Adventurer Private Guided Tour. This is the winner of the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition. 99% Upvoted. Don't miss a thing! When resting it coils up, is covered in mucus, and is about 1cm wide by 6cm long, although when extended it can be up to 30cm long. 284 Mesorhizobium strains of New Zealand native legumes. Go at the right time of year The lupins technically bloom from spring to summer (September-February) in New Zealand, however “peak” lupin season in Mackenzie Country is usually from mid-November until just after Christmas. Lake Wanaka is another breathtaking place to see Lupins in New Zealand. Posted by 1 year ago. You can see Lupins in many places around New Zealand including the North Island. This is … If you’re driving from Queenstown head past Omarama airport and look for the Ahuriri Bridge Campsite on your left. Their combinations of blues and pinks are a tourist attraction, and the subject of many bus stops for photographs. So if you’re coming to New Zealand to see Lupins, be sure to come between late November and mid-January! Marram suffers from a lack of vigour in warmer climates 4 and this has been suggested as a reason why marram is more of a conservation management problem in the cooler southern areas of New Zealand 5. About Lupins in the south island But first, what are Lupins and what makes them unique? Wilding conifers Wilding conifers are invasive weeds that threaten to permanently alter the unique landscapes that are only found in New Zealand. The thought of such plants puts fear into the minds of ecologists, local councils and homeowners alike. However, the local environmental agencies have been working to control the scale of this "pest plant" that causes harm to fragile native ecosystems. EAT, YOU'LL FEEL BETTER: Lupins are a popular aperitif . They are also a food source for the long tailed blue butterfly (Lampides boeticus) - a recent colonist of New Zealand too, which found itself there without the aid of humans. 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