Name     kade   Date 4.4.19

Pōhutakawa Junior Journal 45 

Because the pōhutukawa has red flowers and it blooms in December, it is often thought of as New Zealand’s christmas            tree. The pōhutukawa is special to Maori, and it provides a nectar         and food for many creatures. 

Pōhutukawa prefer to grow in warm places by the sea, and they have special features  which help them grow in sandy soil. The top of its leaves are shiny and green with a  waxy         coating which helps protect them from the salt, sun and dry conditions. 

The  bark  is rough which protects the tree from losing water through its trunk and branches. New flower buds have a special covering which helps protect them from wind and salt. The roots grow deep into the soil or sand. They take water from the ground to help them grow and stand up. 

Pōhutukawa provide a home and food for birds,  insects and other creatures. Some   seabirds         such as shags make their nests in their branches. Other birds, like the tui, eat the    nectar               from the flowers. Lizards and pekapeka also like to eat the nectar. Insects such as weevils and moths eat the leaves, flowers, wood and bark, and live in the dead    leaves               under the trees. 

protect	Christmas	habitat	waxy	insects
seabirds	Nectar	leaves	features	bark

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