Mother Nature.
Trying to describe what Mother Nature means to me is quite a challenge, I am not a language person I am a maker. Have you ever taken a stroll on a hot spring day, when the air is filled with that muggy anticipation of rain? Summer is coming, heavy scents of blossom luring in bees and insects. That smell when it finally starts to rain, that is nature at her best.
Crickets chirping or the first snow of the year. Nature calms you, nurtures you and challenges you. If you want to know more about why it moves me so much, look at the Planet Earth series. It blew my mind, there is so much diversity and specialisation to be found on our planet. It is beyond my comprehension.
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Nature does it
I can say there are roughly three categories in which natures amazes me. Shapes and colours, survival and regeneration.
The first category, shapes and colours may be the most obvious one. Let’s start with birds of paradise, with the absence of natural enemies and by sexual selection the most bizarre birds have arisen. With their bright colours, luscious feathers and meticulous dance routines, it is not surprising they’re called birds of paradise. Some are so bizarre it’s hard to believe they were not made up by a child.
A very different example in this category is the polar bear. It’s a white bear, wouldn’t you say? In fact the polar bear has black skin and transparent, hollow hairs! This maybe not be new to you, but it still amazes me everyday.
In the category survival you’ll find all sorts of animals and plants. To start with my favorite, the water bear, a microscopic creature which can survive anything. Extreme temperatures below and above zero? Check! Radiation? Check! More then a century without water? Check! Outer space vacuum? Check!
Not only in the animal kingdom there are survivors, also some plants grow when no one goes. For instance in an volcanic area in New Zeeland, where soil temperatures can rise to just below boiling point. Trees that grow in salty water, or carnivorous plants.
When I talk about regeneration, I mean the ability of nature to continue, to evolve and regrow. Think of ghost towns completely overgrown with plants. Even nuclear disasters, or comets crashing into earth. The dinosaurs may have not have return, nature did regrow herself.
Or just simply pruning. Trimming your hedge so far back you’re left with just a few brown branches. You take a step back and wonder if you’ve gone to far this time. I always get so exited when a few days or weeks later you see tiny green leaves sprouting, natures survived!