Ok this first one is a bit late but.... an epiphyte won Plant of the Year!!! The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network runs an annual plant of the year popularity contest and last year's winner was Hymenophyllum malingii. 

Here is the description of this species from NZPCN:
This little filmy fern is endemic to the North and South Islands from Te Moehau and Mount Pirongia. It is usually epiphytic, found in mountainous habitats and on subalpine slopes. It forms pendulous patches, with slender, rather brittle, creeping rhizomes, usually on the dead or dying trunks of kaikawaka. It has distinctive grey-white to red-brown coloured fronds and narrow, tubular end parts with star-shaped hairs.

Our second current event is a piece from Te Papa about some Drymoanthus research that has been undertaken this summer. I won't spoil the story but here is my favourite photo, maybe Bart can do a guest blog for us soon!

Finally, our third current event is from 1886! 

With the long title: A few Observations on the Tree-Ferns of New Zealand; with particular Reference to their peculiar Epiphytes, their Habit, and their manner of Growth (phew) this article by William Colenso has some great quotes, my favourite being:

"Sometimes their trunks are quite clean, and devoid of epiphytal vegetation; more commonly, however, they are clothed with a dense mass of epiphytes"

I think we should all start using the term "epiphytal" a whole lot more!

Thanks for awesome people for sharing this info on the NZ Epiphyte Network facebook page :)

Its not overly easy to find epipyhte-related resources online so I would like to share a couple of goodies that I've come across lately:

With the help of google, the name of this Chilean lab can be translated to "Canopy Biodiversity and Ecology Laboratory". A past student of this lab at Universidad Austral de Chile wrote to the NZ Epiphyte Network to share their awesome website with us. If you use Google Chrome then it should automatically translate the page for you. Here is a taster of their stunning photos: 

This group provides us with arguments on why we should conserve nature, information about Chilean forests and profiles of some canopy flora species. 

Located in Florida, the Marie Selby Gardens state on their website that: "The Gardens’ mission is to provide an oasis of inspiration and tranquillity, while furthering the understanding and appreciation of plants, especially epiphytes. Selby Gardens is perhaps best known for its living collection of more than 6,000 orchids, but it is also an established authority on other epiphytes including bromeliads, gesneriads, and other plants."

One of their pages provides an interesting discussion on "What is an epiphyte?", describing the different classes of symbiosis. My favourite line is: "Life itself resists the obscurity of our nomenclature and unsettles us by its diversity". I often feel that our lifeform categories really don't work for diversity and plasticity of our canopy flora!

Do you fancy an escape from your office? How about an adventure to a rainforest canopy in Monteverde Costa Rica?! This awesome website allows you to get a really good feel for life in the canopy with amazing 360 views and lots of interesting stories... and you don't even need to worry about looking down.

Canopy in the Clouds is "the next generation of environmental outreach materials" and is really worth a visit.

Why are exotic species largely absent from our forest canopies? Here are a few ideas:

Harsh habitat: the climatic extremes of the forest canopy likely restrict the opportunities for common exotic species to establish.

Habitat integrity: the majority of epiphyte habitat is in old-growth forests. These places have the large trees, high humidity and relatively stable climates that epiphytes and mistletoes thrive in. The lack of disturbance in these forests likely limits the invasion threat.

Not in favour: most exotic species in New Zealand are garden escapees that were brought from a garden setting in their homeland. I suspect that the lack of epiphytic species in these overseas gardens means that not many epiphytes have ever been brought here (thankfully).

Just wait: without intentional introductions, the invaders rely on accidental arrival. These largely haven't occurred yet but changes in global climate patterns might make this more likely.

There are a few species that have begun naturalising in urban environments. The photo above shows an exotic epiphytic fig in an exotic palm tree in Auckland. This is a common sight around the city and a cause of concern for native urban bush fragments.

There are also species that are very good at taking the odd canopy opportunity! The photo above is of me with a privet seedling that I've removed from the trunk fork of a titoki in Hamilton City.  

And finally, there are also some occasions where exotic orchids are intentionally introduced in forests. The idea is probably to "beautify" our native ecosystems but I personally don't see any logic here, especially considering the invasion risk. 

To finish, let's be clear on something: It is very undesirable to have ANY exotic species in our native forests. They displace native species, interrupt natural processes and restrict ecosystem functioning. They do not provide the services that our native fauna rely on and they threaten the integrity and resilience of these highly interwoven systems. Please take any opportunity you have to reduce these threats from exotic species.

A recent research project by Norden and colleagues investigated the effect of oak forest thinning on epiphyte populations in Sweden. Selective oak harvesting in these areas is undertaken to meet demand for biofuel.

Small and intermediate sized trees were harvested in 24 forests with monitoring of both lichen and moss populations. Forest plots were surveyed before and six years after the removal of about 25% of the tree basal area. 

The researchers found that the areas with partial harvesting had greater rate of host tree colonisation by lichens and mosses. This is possibly due to higher light levels but there was not enough evidence to support this idea. 

The increase in lichen density was greatest on oaks with small diameters and deep bark crevices. The researchers conclude that "A mild form of biofuel harvesting may represent sustainable resource-use in these forests, compatible with conservation. However, part of the forest should be kept untouched for species vulnerable to changes in microclimatic conditions and for evaluation of long-term effects."

This is a very interesting piece of work, especially with the focus on such a different ecosystem. The greater diversity of epiphytic species in New Zealand means that the lessons don't directly apply for us but it highlights the different requirements of different epiphytic life forms.