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I have been saving this one up ever since you told me about your nature corridor. You seem sad now, so here it is, to cheer you up.

The banksia plant has many different species, but they are all found only in Australia. It’s famous to us Aussies, it’s very well loved and a particular favorite of many, probably because the banksia is a symbol of the burned, parched land we live upon, and of how our precious, diverse botanicals are able to survive such a harsh and rugged environment.

The banksia’s flower is large and cone-like, with thousands of tiny florets in bright vibrant colors, shaped into spikes and spirals. I can’t describe them, I’ll stop trying, just look at a picture when you get a chance. They take months to develop, weeks to open.

Wildfires are common things in our bushland. Indigenous peoples have known for millennia that fire brings with it life. Rebirth.

The banksia’s seeds, which take a long time to mature, are held within a hard, woody capsule that has two valves. These valves will open to release the seeds only in extremely high temperatures, like those you get in a bushfire.

The banksia will wait, and wait, and wait for this fire to come. Only with flames and smoke licking at everything around it will it open its valves and let its seeds be taken on this hot, burning wind. Only to black ground, only to ash, will the banksia give its seed. And only within this scorched wasteland can it survive and find a way to thrive. From beneath the carpet of ash—which the untrained eye would look at and see death—comes life, bursting free.