Dr Catherine Dzerefos, who has a PhD in environmental science, traces her passion for the natural world to an injured butterfly she encountered as a child growing up in a Greek family in southern Johannesburg. She had dreamt of becoming a ballerina but caring for the butterfly sparked a fascination with insects and, eventually, marine biology.Her family encouraged her interest in biology and hoped she would study medicine. After being unsuccessful in gaining admission, Dzerefos enrolled for a BSc in zoology and botany, a decision that set her on a career she came to love. An orientation talk by ecologist Oliver Kerfoot during her first week at the University of the Witwatersrand helped cement her direction.Hearing about the pressures the Anthropocene places on life on Earth, she realised she wanted to help heal the planet. Her career has taken her from research into mine-dump rehabilitation and indigenous plants to working with rural communities and studying edible insects for her doctorate.Dzerefos's time at the Wits Rural Facility in Bushbuckridge taught her that valuable knowledge exists beyond universities and textbooks and that science is enriched by different ways of understanding the world.For the past five years, Dzerefos has lived in the City of Tshwane, where her office reflects her interests in biodiversity, indigenous knowledge and conservation. An insect collection, books on wildflowers and trees, recycled materials and a woodrose share space with her teaching and research.One of her most meaningful projects is her work with communities around the Makgabeng Cuesta in Limpopo, helping raise awareness of the area's biodiversity, geology, cultural landscapes, archaeology and indigenous knowledge. The area is also the site of a proposed platinum mine, making informed public participation particularly important to residents. Dzerefos is proud of helping secure the declaration of the Haenertsburg Nature Reserve after eight years of perseverance, as well as her environmental education, research and advocacy work. Her contributions have earned several awards, including the TUT Science Faculty Excellence Award for Woman Researcher in 2025.She enjoys hiking wild places with her husband, Brian, and spending time with their three children. For Dzerefos, nature, culture, indigenous knowledge and conservation remain a professional calling and a way of life.