Early in the summer in New Zealand, our native pohutukawa trees burst into bloom with a flourish of bright red flowers. Heralding Christmas and balmy beachy days, how can they not put a smile on your face. Apart from their visually stunning appearance, they are a good food source for our native birds and insects. The flowers cover the whole spectrum of “red” from rusty brown red to blood red to raspberry red and even pink. Belonging to the Metrosiderous genus, they are one of a number of species found in NZ, including a yellow flowered version. Enjoy these images I snapped this summer.
