Autumn

It’s colder now as summer’s sun

moves north of the equator

rays filter out in evening skies

“Goodbye! We’ll see you later!”

And so the plants prepare themselves

for seasons creeping in

The cold and dark of winter

where few new shoots have been

Food production in the leaves

shuts down and closes doors

green fades out to yellow

red and orange galore

We watch the rainbow show

still clinging to the trees

offering frost protection

‘til blows a little breeze…

Shivering they brace themselves

for what’s about to come

no blankets or hot milo

for warmth as cold winds run

“whooooooooosh!”

“owooooooooooo!”

“arrooooooooosh!”

Deep within the ground

others fill with nutrient stores

enough to last through winter

tubers, bulbs and corms

And like the trees, they dig in deep

alarm clocks set to ring

when winter’s passed

sun shining bright

to mark the first of Spring

Tick-tock

Tick-tock

Tick-tock

The Boab Tree

Way up north in the Kimberley dry

grows a boab tree – trunk round and wide

Each one unique – arms stretched out bold

Some more than 1000 years old!

The trunk is curved – shaped like a bottle

(unlike the skinny native wattle)

Their girth can stretch to twenty metres

(I wonder how big it’s volume in litres?)

The boab’s bark is smooth and grey

Branches bare during long dry days

But when the season turns wet, new leaves sprout green

brimming with fruit – a sight to be seen!

Flowers white with a pinkish hue

long delicate lines and fragranced too

The boab nuts are different shapes

covered in hair which can be scraped

To reveal the nut – so smooth and dark

their surface used for native art

Trees

My kids ask a lot of questions.

They like to know how we are connected to everything.

This is about part of our relationship with trees.

(We obviously say "thank you" to the trees too!)

Leaves at the top

dancing in green-

emerald and jade

shades can be seen

Facing the sun

they soak up its rays

making the most

of bright sunny days

The sunlight they seek

is magic, you see-

for without it,

no food can be made for the tree!

The air we breathe out

and the rain that seeps through

mix together with light

to make something new-

A sugar called glucose

which is used by the tree

to keep growing taller

(this needs energy!)

And when this is made

we get something too-

fresh oxygen to breathe-

as each tree says “thank you”.