plant letters.

1 in 4 South Australian Native plants are threatened. As a part of our research for Plant Notes we wanted to write and collect letters to these threatened plants. These are the letters that have been collected so far, they have been written by staff at the SA Seed Conservation Centre, Adelaide Botanic Gardens and participants who attended our workshops.

please contribute and send us a letter, send a wish and a hope to a threatened plant

Dear critically endangered plant, 

I vow to do all I can to work with you in your natural habitat to acknowledge the damage created in the past and the risks to your future.  Together we will make a difference for you and your family.

Kirsty

Dear rare plant, I have not forgotten you. Kate

Dear threatened plant, 

I missed you today but hope to see you another day. It’s been a while and i hope you still live here….. Gotta go now, eating cake.  Dan

Dear critically endangered plant, 

I am so deeply sorry for the ways in which we have misunderstood you, mistreated you. I wish my eyes and ears had been more open to you and your needs.  I promise to pay more attention to you, your friends and family so that you all remain as safe as possible now. 

All my love to you sweet little plant, Naomi 

Dear Plants, 

I’m sorry that we don’t seem able to live together 

regards, 

Helen

Dear vulnerable plant, 

I know you are scared right now.  It might feel like the ground is shifting under your roots and you are struggling to hold on.  

Rest assured, there are people in tiny rooms and big buildings that care about you. There are people that volunteer their time and entire organisations that are talking about you are caring for your future.  

Keep those roots strong.  Hang in there.

Dear vulnerable plant, 

We’ve not met before but i am here for you. Let me know what you need, 

I’ll do anything, 

Love, plant lover 

Dear threatened plant, 

Hang in there, the tide is turning. 

Plant lover 

Dear extinct plant, 

Where have you gone? 

Please come back one day….. Ever hopeful, 

Plant lover 

Dear threatened plant, 

I hope people are looking after you so you can live longer in your beautiful life 

From Roy

Dear endangered plant, 

I hope there are some people looking out for you. To care for you so that your family can continue on many years to come. 

I hope to hear positive news from you in the future - that your family has grown, 

Warm wishes, Plant lover 

Dear threatened plant, 

Lots of people and lots of money have been spent. 

But still you struggle and slowly faded 

Not from lack of will or want 

rather , from lack of place

Talks and money will continue with great intention 

But don’t keep your stomata open

Or you will dry out waiting 

Thai 

Dear Critically endangered plants, 

I feel so privileged to have met you and see you during my working day (Spyridium fontis-woodii) even though you are not in your natural environment. I hope that the efforts of the Seed Bank can help you prosper enough to continue your species in enough numbers to return to ‘the wild’.  It is sad that you got to this point. 

Plant lover 

Dear Grandma Mulleri Daisy,

I hope this letter finds you well. I’m writing from the Botanic Gardens rare plant seed orchard. We are here amongst several other threatened plants, we are very well taken care of- so different to the Eyre Peninsula. We are rarely thirsty, have so much room to grow and with no browning rabbits!

How are you going there? Missing you and the family,

Adelaide Mulleri OR Daisy 

Dear vulnerable plant, 

I feel so powerless in the fight to protect you from forces of change greater than myself. It is hard to know that we may lose you, that we cannot support you, and that we seem not to be able to appreciate your intelligence.  But i hope we can save you and maybe in doing so, save ourselves… 

Dear Glycine.
Grasp the soil, send your roots deep and strong into the Earth.
Capture the energy of the Sun through your trifoliate greenness.
Activate your chlorophyll to energise your cells.
Push into the purple petals your uniqueness – Call for the bees to pollinate and allow your seeds to swell, let recombination drop new adaptations which embrace the changes in micro habitat.
Spread your wings and fly.

Dear clover glycine,
You may feel uncared for because you are small and easily mistaken for plants from other countries, but like insects in the animal kingdom, without your presence the biosphere is diminished and we must protect you. I will aim to look down close to the ground and try to find you next time I am walking in the hills.
With love and hope Robin

Dear Daisy,
You are a very sweet little flower. I like the way your petals are a bit scrappy.
I hear there are not many of you.
Be strong and take heart.
Lots of people care.

Dear Corunna,
Sorry we have all been busy and not stopped to appreciate you before. But you are patient and peaceful and waited all this time.
Thank you, so glad we got to meet you today… Time to start noticing