I guess I am a wannabe botanist, or at least an enthusiastic botaniser. From a young age I have always had a keen interest in native plants and having native bush on the farm where I grew up gave me an excellent opportunity to identify and, well, watch nature.

On the farm I was often sent out to do the thistle grubbing, and during the end of year school holidays I had to help with spraying the gorse. Back then it was with 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. Hmmm, maybe these organochorines have messed with my cognitive functions! Anyway, I am now an almost pathological hater of weeds - or more accurately - invasive species.

I hope NatureWatch will help us to understand and to protect the increasingly threatened natural world.