Clematis

Clematis paniculata is a New Zealand native which climbs high in the trees, and in spring their flowers brighten up the green of the bush with patches of white. This particular example is climbing up a tall tree along Huia Road.

The September equinox will occur today, 23 September, 3:09 p.m. NZ time (=3:09 a.m. GMT). While the official beginning of spring in New Zealand is September 1, other countries align their seasons with equinox and solstice dates. So we have another excuse to celebrate spring (if one were needed).

The time of equinox is often associated with severe storms, and this year we certainly got a long and almighty blast (a weather beast as the TV forecasters called it), starting late last week and still going (with lulls in between).