Ranunculus lyallii is endemic to Aotearoa/New Zealand, where it grows naturally only on Te Wai Pounamu/the South Island and Rakiura/Stewart Island. Most commonly called the Mt Cook lily, it’s actually a buttercup (Ranunculaceae). The little insect on the stamens of the central flower is a native hover fly (Syrphidae); the distant mountainside in the background is predominantly southern beech (
Nothofagus) forest. This plant and many
others of its species flowered on the slopes of Avalanche Peak, Arthur's Pass National Park during the 2005 summer.
All content © 2009 Pete McGregor
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