Overgrown shelter belt

This row of radiata pine (Pinus radiata) on Kaitorete Spit has been around for a while.  The spit divides Lake Ellesmere from the sea, and is dry and windswept, a harsh environment for plants and animals.  The trees provide shelter for stock, but the spit also provides habitat for unusual and interesting native plants and insects.  They are hard to find this time of year, as most activity occurs in the spring and early summer before everything dries out.