Australian Wildflowers take people by surprise. Many probably expect huge blooms only to discover that the reality is so much different. Our flowers are tiny. Hard to spot. They are delicate and gentle. Ancient survivors from prehistoric times.
We have to train ourselves just to spot them. An acquired taste. A taste that requires you to get close and intimate with them. So you can really examine their intricate beauty.
They inhabit such small biospheres. Tiny. I mean a couple of acres can be the only home for one species.
With the huge farms that surround these tiny patches of unique flowers, it is unlikely that they will migrate as the planet changes temperature. Hence destined to be threatened with extinction.
The climate emergency has well and truely arrived. The global strike today is such an important moment in our history. Have we ever had a global strike before. It is urgent. We have to act as quickly as possible. Setting targets for decades down the track is such a pitiful attempt at change. Mass change that has to be implemented instantly.
There is so much we can do. Reforestation, planting trees. Halting mass deforestation. Abandoning plastics and fossil fuels. Educating young women. Examining our population growth.
It is time that governments and corporations listen and act. Unfortunately, we need your support and your bold decision making. Waiting for individuals to change isn’t solving this crisis.
I fear for our planet, I fear for my sons future.
Today, may become an important day in history. I do hope so. I hope it’s bigger than anyone ever imagined.
Western Australian Wildflowers. Photograph and text copyright © Len Metcalf 2019