Overview
In January 2026, Botany Curator Heidi Meudt was invited to take part in a Department of Conservation survey of the threatened plant Myosotis umbrosa in the Rock and Pillar Range, Otago. Richard Ewans organised the three-day trip and put together a seven-person team comprising three other current DOC botanists (Theresa Moore, Kelli Gerritsen, Connor Durkin) and two former DOC botanists (Brian Rance and John Barkla).
Several small populations of Myosotis umbrosa were documented, and three other native Myosotis species were also found. A few specimens were made by DOC staff to be processed and kept at the Te Papa herbarium, some of which can be seen here (scroll down to "Related Objects" below).
You can also read more about the trip in the blog post, "Hunting for a threatened forget-me-not in the Rock and Pillar Range."