An Alpine Flower A Day: New Zealand Cushion

Flower A Day: Day 3, New Zealand Cushion (Donatia novae zelandiae) – The flowers are about 8mm wide on a cushion size plant – photo taken Dec 2019, Arthurs Pass Track, Arthurs Pass National Park

I'm cheating a bit - this poem is not written today but an excerpt from one of the poems I'm writing for my flora collection, where I'm talking to William Wordsworth about the field of flowers I wandered through - not daffodils, but in the alpine fields of Arthurs Pass, where my friends and I stumbled upon this profusion of tiny flowers dancing over springy botanical cushions – one of my starry moments.

Here tis:

excerpt from "Donatia to William"

I didn’t compare these flowers to waves

But dropped to my knees and gazed in glee at the biodiversity in this hand-size space: sticky sundew leaves gesturing through herby stems to catch small prey; tiny jabbing fingers of a blue succulent bursting up here and there; cherry burs among browned-off matter, their own flowery wonder; and one long blade of tussock swept across the small shining faces.

If you're interested in the inspiration behind this month-long series of 'A Flower A Day' about NZ alpine flowers and poems, you can find more in my first post: An Alpine Flower A Day Enjoy!