I love the delicacy of the Rata flowers. They speak to me of the promise of Summer and of hope, which is kind of what we need right now with the climate talks going on in Paris. The belief that we can live ‘with’ the earth, and make the necessary changes to the way we do that, in order that our time here is sustainable.
the Rata in bloom
We’ve been planting lots of Ratas in the reserve here in Wellington and at ‘Hou Ngahere’ and it seems to me that planting trees is a large part of the answer, in so many ways. They’re good for our well being (the science is in!), they’re good for our health, they’re good for the planet ….
They take in all that we throw at them and give us back rain and the breath of life. December 1st is the first day of Summer……. And the rata is in bloom which, like its cousin the Põhutukawa, signals Christmas in New Zealand. The promise of summer.
Metrosideros excelsa (pōhutukawa, New Zealand pohutukawa,New Zealand Christmas tree) is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red (or occasionally orange, yellow or white) flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The pōhutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand. Renowned for its vibrant colour and its ability to survive even perched on rocky, precarious cliffs, it has found an important place in New Zealand culture for its strength and beauty and is regarded as a chiefly tree (rākau rangatira) by Māori. (Wikipedia)The blossom of the pohutukawa tree is called kahika
I've been a full time painter of light for 40 years - self taught and independent, a former President of the NZ Academy of Fine Arts.
I'm into sustainability, planting trees and spiritual ecology. This includes growing award winning Lavender oil and olive oil.
I'm a student of the Diamond Approach; a psycho-spiritual path to realizing and developing our fullest potential
View all posts by Ian Hamlin
2 thoughts on “Summer’s promise”
In Romania today is the first day of winter according to the calendar. Your post is very nice Ian and has amazing photos 🙂
We’ve been planting lots of Ratas in the reserve here in Wellington and at ‘Hou Ngahere’ and it seems to me that planting trees is a large part of the answer, in so many ways. They’re good for our well being (the science is in!), they’re good for our health, they’re good for the planet ….
December 1st is the first day of Summer……. And the rata is in bloom which, like its cousin the Põhutukawa, signals Christmas in New Zealand. The promise of summer.
Life and Light 
In Romania today is the first day of winter according to the calendar. Your post is very nice Ian and has amazing photos 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful flower and the canopy upside down umbrella a great show piece. Be well.
LikeLiked by 1 person