Editor's note

I am pleased to include in this edition a second article from Charles and Julia Botha and this one focuses on the Halleria lucida or Tree Fuchsia which is an important species to attract nectar loving animals to your garden. In future editions I hope to bring you more articles to help you develop a healthy indigenous garden.

For this edition the brief for our species writers was “reproduction” and again the research work and results have been enormously informative! Who would have thought that frogs resort to “kick-boxing” to prevail over their opponents! Read Jeanne Tarrant’s article to find out more about the “tricks” frogs use to protect their territory. Steve Woodhall is always meticulous in his research and his article reveals all the “chemistry and signalling” that butterflies resort to in order to be able to reproduce in their incredibly short adult (winged) lives – it’s all a bit frantic and rushed! Pat McKrill sheds some light on reptile reproduction in what is essentially a cold blooded affair while Nicolette Forbes has excelled in highlighting the amazing variety of breeding behaviour in our local bird species from intricate nest building to the parasitic tactics of some species who hand over their parental duties to others! These articles are a must read!

Marlies Craig opted to share the fourth and final instalment on the temporary insect exhibition, which was on display at the Durban Natural Science Museum and in this article Marlies explains the vital role insects play in the food chain and what happens if we don’t have insects!

This edition is scheduled to be published just ahead of Arbor Week which falls in the first week of September. Richard Boon is these days deeply involved in working on Australian biodiversity but kindly found time to author an article covering the three Trees of the Year which occur in our area White-milkwood (Sideroxylon inerme subsp. inerme), Coastal Red-milkwood (Mimusops afra) and Tamboti (Spirostachys africana). Photographing trees to illustrate their characteristics is an extremely difficult task but one that, fortunately for us readers, Richard has mastered and his photographs help us to better understand the species he has covered.

Arend Hoogervorst continues with his incisive Opinion Column to highlight issues which force us to think about our personal roles in protecting our environment. In this edition he reminds us that Climate Change denialism is rife and being promoted by very powerful individuals. As Arend points out “In South Africa, where we cherish freedom of speech, we should rather focus our efforts on supporting ‘green initiatives’ and practices, and adopt sound environmental and climate policies and practices.” – it’s about what we as individuals can do!

Our Eco-Impi interview for this edition is with Trafford Petterson who a registered Environmental Management Inspector and who has deep roots in local conservation having been involved as a teenager with the then WESSA Highway Branch.

I would like to thank all the authors for their willingness and commitment to produce such enlightening articles which I hope will “inspire” all our readers to commit even more to environmental duty of care. I also thank our Graphics Editor, Jo Sobey for the many hours spent on processing the articles and photographs into the stunning format we are fortunate to enjoy.

Paolo Candotti – July 2025