Steppingstone4Nature

01/10/2026

The joy of a grassland.

30/09/2026

21/09/2026

Thank you Forest View Primary for this lovely write up. It's been an absolute pleasure working with you all and I look forward to helping you extend your grassland garden and sharing the wonders of nature with you all next year. Thank you for creating two beautiful monster's for the Hillcrest Conservancy inc. Springside Nature Reserve Monster Alley event. I do hope some of you will be able to join us on 3 October 2026.

"Forest View Primary School is committed to protecting and celebrating our indigenous plant life and creating awareness among our learners about the important role these plants play in our environment.

Our school works closely with , through educational visits and environmental programmes. Dawn Booth regularly visits our school to educate and inspire our learners about indigenous plants, biodiversity and ways in which we can care for and protect our natural environment. Through this partnership, our learners have developed a deeper appreciation for the plants and wildlife around them.

Dedicated areas throughout our school grounds have been created where indigenous plants can grow and thrive. These gardens are cared for by our learners, Dawn and our dedicated grounds staff, who work together to nurture and maintain these special spaces. Our gardens have become a wonderful living classroom where learners can observe, explore, learn and develop a sense of responsibility for nature. Forest View Primary School is extremely proud of our indigenous gardens and the role they play in encouraging the next generation to become caring custodians of our natural environment."

20/09/2026

A pop of yellow, a splash of pink and as many colours in between. Another glorious day spend roaming our local grasslands.

19/09/2026

I'm honestly not sure who enjoyed themselves more this afternoon at our "Monster Building" Eco-club meeting. The children had very creative ideas which the parents ended up ensuring came to fruition.

Our Sagittaria Monster comes complete with two layers of petticoats, a glamorous handbag, and nails painted on in nail polish - painted red to match her eyes.... 🤣

We had lots of fun, Mackenzie's dad proved very handy with needles and cotton, Barry looks great in a blond wig and somewhere along the line Riley managed to mend his favourite pair of shoes. Was it chaotic? Absolutely, but in the nicest possible way.
For now our Monster is safely in my spare bedroom and I promise I will ensure that the door is locked when I go to sleep tonight.

We look forward to seeing everyone at Hillcrest Conservancy inc. Springside Nature Reserve on 3 October at our Monster Alley event. It's sure to be a lot of fun.

Steppingstone4Nature

16/09/2026

What a beautiful tree! I know I usually post grassland plants but sometimes a tree grabs my attention! :)

13/09/2026

Just a splash of joyful colour to end your weekend on a bright note.

13/09/2026

What a wonderful world.

08/09/2026

Cicely Mary Barker was an English illustrator who created the "Flower Fairies", images of ethereal smiling children with butterfly wings. The thing is many of the plants she depicted become rampant monster when planted outside their native habitat.

Take the bramble as an example, the Bramble Fairy is depicted as a sweet little girl perched next to a clump of tasty berries. However, in KZN the bramble is a category 1b invasive plant species that forms dense, impenetrable thickets and chokes native grasslands and forests. It spreads rapidly via seeds and vegetative suckers and rooting canes making them notoriously difficult to eradicate. They may have sweet berries but they also have nasty thorns!

Your task is to let your imagination go wild and draw a "bramble monster". You can either email your picture through to me ([email protected]) or bring it with you when you come to the Monster Alley event on 3 October at Springside Nature Reserve.

Hillcrest Conservancy inc. Springside Nature Reserve Steppingstone4Nature