Ever wondered what curators take with them when they go out on the field (or in the mountains, or down in the depths of the oceans)? You’re in luck! Whether it be tramping the Great Walks to document birdlife, hunting for parasitic ghost orchids, co-collecting in Tokelau, or collecting forget-me-nots from very dramatic locations, field work is an exciting part of the mahi we do here at Te Papa.
So what do they take? We’ve asked some of our staff to talk about their must-pack equipment – the unique and the not-so-unique. Let’s begin with botanists Lara Shepherd and Leon Perrie.
Our field work is currently focused on collecting specimens of taramea, speargrasses, Aciphylla for determining the number of species in Aotearoa New Zealand. When there is time, we also collect mosses and liverworts, collectively pūkohukohu or bryophytes, since these small plants are generally underappreciated.
Most speargrasses have sharp tips to their divided leaves, presumably a deterrent against moa and other indigenous browsers. It’s also good defence against botanists, especially when obtaining a useable specimen of an entire leaf means reaching into the centre of a plant’s rosette. Walking poles serve to direct elsewhere the pointy bits of leaves, but eyes still need protection with ski goggles, and hands with cut-resistant gloves.
While we use secateurs when collecting from other kinds of bigger plants, there’s little room for manoeuvre within the centre of a speargrass, and we’ve learnt a sharp knife works best – a diver’s knife found while beachcombing does the job for us. Cut leaves are tied into a roll using garden cloth ties, and transported in a plastic, telescopic artist’s tube, for safe, non-prickly, and discreet carriage. Flower spikes are dealt with similarly, but before going into the tube, are wrapped in paper to reduce the dislodging of the tiny flowers.
Mostly we’re doing day trips with the occasional overnighter. The cut specimens are ferried to wherever we’re based with the museum’s 4WD, where we have the additional gear to dry and press them for long-term storage in the museum’s herbarium.
Mosses and liverworts present different challenges. Their small size means the magnification provided by a good hand lens is essential for checking their identifying characteristics. A pocketknife is used to slice samples from soil or bark. Each sample goes into its own pre-folded A4-paper envelope. The jute supermarket bag usually carried by Leon attracts some odd looks but is an easy way to carry the unused and filled envelopes without having to continually access a backpack. While we might walk all day to get a particular speargrass on a mountain top, we might collect tens of specimens of pūkohukohu within a few metres in the right habitat.
A notebook is essential for recording details of locality, habitat, and abundance, with a collecting number cross-referenced to a jeweller’s tag tied to the speargrass sample or annotated on the bryophyte envelope. A waterproof notebook is carried if the forecast is poor. A GPS provides accurate location coordinates, whether we’re trying to re-find someone else’s previous report or we’re recording our own collections. The GPS’s map is also backup to the Topo maps on our mobile phones. A PLB and first aid kit are carried for emergencies. Leon has an Olympus TG-6 to photographically document each collection, with the macro good for bryophytes. Lara uses her mobile’s camera to record other interesting plants and animals for the citizen science website iNaturalist. Head lamps provide illumination for dark bryophyte habitats, and late returns. A powerpack recharges cameras, phones, and torches.
Leon usually wears boots, with long tramping pants for protection against cutty and spiky plants, but foregoes the restriction of gators. Lara prefers trail-running shoes. Collecting a sample usually means we’ve stopped in one place for a while, so warm clothes are always carried. Lara has found fingerless gloves allow dexterity for writing field notes. Heavy or light raingear options depend on the forecast, elevation, and remoteness, but Lara regardless likes to carry a light, tramping umbrella. Clothes and day-packs with lots of pockets for easy access to gear, food, and water are preferred.
Gear
- diver’s knife
- pocketknife
- ski goggles
- cut-resistant gloves
- walking poles
- cloth garden ties
- artist’s plastic tube
- hand lens
- paper envelopes
- labelling pens
- notebook – usual, plus waterproof
- camera
- phones
- supermarket bag
- plastic bags
- jeweller’s tags
- umbrella
- GPS
- first aid kit
- PLB
- permits
- head-lamps
- powerpack (with cord)
- boots
- shoes
- raingear
- fingerless gloves
- day-packs
- waterbottles
