Autumn Harvest

Fly Agaric ( The Fairytale Mushroom)



Not sure what this type is, but looks even more lethal.

Just as well no one here is into experimentation, as we have quite a crop of these little treasures growing alongside the pine shelterbelts this year.  Fortunately the stock don't worry them, unlike our native Tutu (Coriaria).



Tutu

 Tutu is the most notorious native poisonous plant in New Zealand as it causes livestock losses.  They eat it in any quantity - they die!  It comes in this scrub form, or as a tree.  And it mainly causes cattle losses.  Why am I telling you this?
Well, we always lose 1-2 cattle beasts a year through Tutu poisoning, and usually when the cows have just been weaned and they go back out to our Spur, which has a significant amount of Tutu on it. 

Precautions we take are too always make sure the cows are full when they go out, so they will be more choosy about what they taste, and you don't put outside, unexposed livestock onto blocks that contain this plant.  However, one silly tart just had to eat too much, and is now no more.  They seem to be able to eat a little, and that is why humans don't seem to be fatally poisoned these days.  Some tourists can't resist the little tiny berries, and have a sublethal dose, and sometimes there are cases of humans being affected through honey (1974 and 2008 so not common).  The flesh of the berries is not poisonous, but the seed is.  Dogs seem to be able to suck up the berries (usually greedy labradors)  without chewing the seed, and then pass the seeds out with no problems. 

Most year's we will lose 2-3 sheep with this poisoning too,  usually hoggets, again mainly when they are on this same block, even though there are pockets over the whole farm.  And if calves ingest a sublethal dose it seems to have a long term effect on their brain, so every so often we just get a crazy young cattle beast that it is difficult to do anything with.