We were rather pleased to have the Education Centre at the Southland Community Nursery to shelter us from the horizontal hail, sleet and rain that began right on our event start time! At the education centre we identified pests that we don’t want to see in our forest and bush areas - ferrets, possums, weasels and stoats, and used ‘beaut bug ID cards’ to name the bugs we had examples of. It was great to have close up looks at these important creatures in our forests.
Then the weather eased and we headed out to the Bushy Point Reserve to the tune of fernbirds singing and rolling thunder! Along the track we had to spot 10 things that were not supposed to be there (including a spoon and a toothbrush!!). This got us really looking at what is around us. Then we got to the tree planting area where we planted some new trees. We measured both the height of the trees and the tamariki, and re-measured the heights of those trees planted over the last two years that we have been holding the ECO Fun Day event. One makomako (wineberry), which was planted in December 2015, is now over 2 1/2 metres tall!! (Measuring it was difficult!).
By the time we got to the pond the sun was out. A few made a boat to float, and we looked for different pond critters. We found water boatman, tadpoles, damsel fly larvae and other insect life. There were fun games and a scavenger hunt around the pond area, as well as the simple enjoyment of being in the outdoors. On the way back to the Southland Community Nursery we viewed a freshwater koura netted from the pond there. A great day.
A big thanks to all the helpers (especially those out at activities at Bushy Point when the hail etc pelted down!) and the families who contributed to this being a great event. Bronwyn
Posted: 5 November 2017
On 12 October 2017 over 30 Invercargill Central Friendship Group members visited the Nursery. Under Jim Andrews charge, the group walked through the orchard, deciduous garden with under-plantings of daffodils and bluebells and on to the nursery. We then walked around the pond discussing native bush restoration and pond plantings and then Chris gave a talk about the operation of the Nursery as a Charitable Trust, the production and sale of native plants and the Educational aspects of the Nursery and Nature Centre. We then enjoyed a cuppa and afternoon tea which Jim had brought along for the group. Chris
Posted: 30 October 2017
On 17 October 2017 a small group of keen pre-schoolers came to the Nursery ready to get active for Conservation Week. Bronwyn welcomed the group at the bus park and they walked through to the nursery. They enjoyed a number of different activities including looking at the worm farm, exploring the wetland tunnel with its hidden doors – talking about pests, then out to the pond track doing a scavenger hunt and finishing up having a potting up session with Chris - successfully potted up cabbage trees for the Nursery. Chris
Posted: 30 October 2017
On Thursday 26 October 2017, twenty Glenham School children came to the nursery accompanied by Mark Oster, teacher Karen, farmer David Clark and parents. The aim was for the children to check out the way the Nursery was run, what structures and facilities were needed and how to grow native plants for their project on David and Alana Clarks farm.
The group was divided into two and Mark took one group down around the pond looking at the plants and other creatures along the way. Then a game of “eels and ladders” with a native plant theme captivated the students.
Meanwhile back at the potting shed Chris showed how to sow seeds, how and when different things were done in the nursery, some plant identification and plant matching and some nursery work which involved “pricking out” seedlings into small pots and also “potting up” plants in small pots into planter bags (PB3’s).
An added bonus was finding a koura in a fish trap in the pond and haveing a close (but not too close!) look at it.
After lunch in the Education Centre the group went out into the nursery and found out what was needed to start their own nursery – a water supply, shade houses or cloches, plant standing frames, a place for potting mix delivery and potting benches, preferably under cover. Then the students helped to choose and load 100 native plants onto David Clark’s trailer for planting in their project in a weeks time. Chris
Posted: 30 October 2017
Jo’s third weekend workshop here at the Education Centre was a great success. No surprises there! As the topic was “Nature Journaling” we started the first day with a walk by the pond – Jo asking everyone to take a few minutes in silence to “feel” and experience the environment – even the ducks went quiet! There were a range of observations – the sun on your face, the patterns on the water, the breeze on the skin, the sound of birdsong, the scent of the kohuhu, the shade on the tree trunks, the layers of the forest, the ripples on the water, the clematis flowers. Nature Journaling is all about observation – drawing, painting, writing, feeling and keeping a visual diary – it is very much for you.
Then Chris led a walk around the pond with everyone picking leaf specimens and twigs for drawing back at the Education Centre. Jo then demonstrated various techniques (it was a joy to watch) followed by the intense concentration of doing the various drawing exercises – it was very quiet, just like a school exam room or a library! After a shared lunch, everyone was back into it – outside again finding your own special area to sit and draw – the bluebell garden, the pond, the bush, the vegetable gardens – wherever the feeling or subject took you.
The second day was a feast of colour. Starting with colour wheels everyone then used their own colour medium – pencils, water colours etc to go through another set of exercises, with Jo there to help and advise. Again she demonstrated the various techniques first and people then put them into practice. People again went out to take advantage of the glorious weather and different environments – the flower garden and orchards, ponds, tussocks and bush. As Chris walked around she kept finding people in all sorts of unusual places!
Jo said the Education Centre is such a perfect venue for such a course as it combines opportunities for outside study with the comfort of the Education Centre which has good light and excellent views to get you in the right mood.
Although everyone seemed exhausted at the end they all thanked Jo for a wonderfully inspiring weekend. We look forward to Jo’s next workshop – perhaps on printmaking. If you are interested in future courses email Chris and she will put you on the email list. Thanks Jo for coming down from Christchurch and to the ILT for funding our workshops this year and making them very affordable for everyone.
Chris
Posted: 11 October 2017
