If we think of a plant community as a pyramid, the greatest number and variety of plants are at the ground level. As we go up the pyramid we find small shrubs, then larger shrubs, small trees and then eucalypts. We notice the eucalypts standing head and shoulders above all others, but usually there are only three different varieties compared to the hundred or so different plant varieties living at the base of the pyramid.
The plants growing at ground level, or at the base of the pyramid, support all the other layers, and when this layer is compromised, the health of the bushland is also compromised. There is an intricate health system in operation within our bushland that we can never hope to understand. But it's good enough to know. that like people, each member of the community is important, and their gifts and talents create a healthy vibrant community.
And for our own community to be healthy and thrive, we also have an intricate health system in place. This system provides services that individuals contribute to, such as schools, hospitals, police, supermarkets and post offices. When our community becomes compromised and we lose our base support services, the health and vibrancy of our community goes into a steady decline, losing one service after another. This is obvious in rural communities where people drift into the city wanting better services and job opportunities until our towns are shells of their former self. Some services are noticeable, but then there are the less obvious, more intricate services in our community such as writers, musicians, entertainers and artists of all genres. With greater complexity, our lives are richer, happier, and thus healthier.
In bushland where there is greater complexity, there is always something flowering at this time of year, which makes me smile. Orchids, lilies and ground covers are covered in tiny delicate flowers, and climbers such as apple berry, blue love and clematis are showing off their tree climbing skills.
The challenge is getting closer to the ground, to become more attentive, to notice, and to really see beauty in its many forms and disguises. When we have a relationship with all the personalities living in our bushland, we see their value. Our values represent the very essence of what's important to us in our life. Our values are expressed in our everyday living, and these values influence our actions. It allows us to care for the smallest and most vulnerable understorey plats.
And the smallest and the most vulnerable in our community are our children, and like clematis they make us smile, showing us the importance of the pyramid of life.
The plants growing at ground level, or at the base of the pyramid, support all the other layers, and when this layer is compromised, the health of the bushland is also compromised. There is an intricate health system in operation within our bushland that we can never hope to understand. But it's good enough to know. that like people, each member of the community is important, and their gifts and talents create a healthy vibrant community.
And for our own community to be healthy and thrive, we also have an intricate health system in place. This system provides services that individuals contribute to, such as schools, hospitals, police, supermarkets and post offices. When our community becomes compromised and we lose our base support services, the health and vibrancy of our community goes into a steady decline, losing one service after another. This is obvious in rural communities where people drift into the city wanting better services and job opportunities until our towns are shells of their former self. Some services are noticeable, but then there are the less obvious, more intricate services in our community such as writers, musicians, entertainers and artists of all genres. With greater complexity, our lives are richer, happier, and thus healthier.
In bushland where there is greater complexity, there is always something flowering at this time of year, which makes me smile. Orchids, lilies and ground covers are covered in tiny delicate flowers, and climbers such as apple berry, blue love and clematis are showing off their tree climbing skills.
The challenge is getting closer to the ground, to become more attentive, to notice, and to really see beauty in its many forms and disguises. When we have a relationship with all the personalities living in our bushland, we see their value. Our values represent the very essence of what's important to us in our life. Our values are expressed in our everyday living, and these values influence our actions. It allows us to care for the smallest and most vulnerable understorey plats.
And the smallest and the most vulnerable in our community are our children, and like clematis they make us smile, showing us the importance of the pyramid of life.