08/07/2026
Have you seen our latest Kaharoa Kōkako Trust newsletter?
Featured is "Tiny Taonga of Kaharoa," a wonderful article by Sky Smale, accompanied by her beautiful illustration, Pepetuna/Atarau.
If you love nature-inspired art, be sure to follow Sky on Instagram: .
Read the latest newsletter in full, and sign up for future editions:�
https://www.kokako.org.nz/our-newsletter
🌿Tiny Taonga of Kaharoa
Our forest in winter has a certain hush about it. Groups of manu chatter
and flock together in their winter mobs, but the distinctive territorial
and breeding calls of Spring and Summer have fallen quiet for now. So
too has the buzz and hum of te aitanga pepeke (the insect world). Life lurks within the leaf-litter, however…a treasure-trove of diversity
brewing beneath our feet. No matter how still te ngahere may appear
she is rich with potential, and this is beautifully illustrated by one of our
most under-appreciated tāonga; rau kāpia, otaota or ‘duff’.
These terms refer to the layer of freshly fallen, dead and decaying
forest matter that forms a soft carpet within our forest system. There is
little to no ‘duff’ where we have forged our tracks, and it is diminished
by the activities of ungulates (hoofed animals) too. Where left
undisturbed though, duff provides crucial functions to the ecology of
Kaharoa. It is here that we find the mycorrhizal network - lacy fungal
filaments which assist our plants and trees to access the water
necessary for life, and some of which produce the array of colorful
mushrooms and toadstools that we so enjoy.
Within our otaota nutrients are recycled, moisture is retained, forest
temperatures regulated, erosion risks reduced and carbon
sequestered. Seeds lie protected within the duff, waiting for their
moment of germination. Many of our crucial native decomposers
(detrivores) live out their lives here too - invertebrates such as
springtails, slaters, millipedes, slugs and snails. And while the insect
life of our ngahere may seem largely absent over winter, a plethora of
eggs and cocoons lie snuggled up in the relative safety of our duff
layer. A single pepetuna/puriri moth can deposit just shy of 2000 eggs
across the forest floor during her precious few nights on the wing.
Wētā wāhine use their formidable looking ovipositors to push clusters
of eggs into the protective embrace of soft earth. Rō/stick insect eggs
drop like pattering rain from the canopy to the leaf-litter, where they lie
camouflaged in the guise of seeds or woody detritus. Theirs may be
one of the strangest life-cycles within our forest; females of some
species require no male input at all, others can seemingly decide on a
whim whether or not it is necessary (in some species, only females
have ever been recorded).
With the advent of Kōanga/Spring these multitudes of oothecae (eggs)
and silk-wrapped cocoons stored safely through our darkest nights will
burst forth. They will emerge into a world of blossom and birdsong.
They will feed, and be feasted upon! Duff holds the key to survival for many of our forest dwellers. Life in
the forest ends here - fallen trees, spent plant matter, the carcasses of
creatures large and miniscule. It begins here, too; nature is the ultimate
recycler.
Next time you’re out for a walk, take a moment to observe our forest
floor. Is the soil soft, or compacted? Is otaota present in a thick layer, or
are there disturbed and barren areas? If you move your fingers gently
through the leaf litter can you see the white webbing of mycorrhiza, or
smell the sweet, spicy musk of healthy decomposition at work? The
keen-eyed might even spy seeds, eggs or cocoons.
A thriving ngahere is bountiful - and the dark, undercover world of duff
holds so much of the potential for the abundance we seek to support.
Let’s learn to appreciate it’s special character!
Writing and Original Artwork by Sky Smale (KKT Volunteer & Educator)
🌿💚🪺
Kaharoa Kōkako Trust
