Flora

Monga national park

🌱 The bushfire that burned Monga National Park during the 2019-2020 season, affected 26,573 hectares, which is 98% of the park.
🌱 Although bushfires are an important part of Australia’s ecosystem — certain eucalyptus species release their seeds and some banksia open their cones only after fire — the 2019–2020 fires were far hotter, longer, and more destructive due to extreme heat, drought, and climate change.
Fortunately, nature shows incredible resilience

Prickly starwort
(Stellaria pungens)

🌱 The "Trigger" Mechanism: Each flower has a sensitive parts—that snaps forward when an insect lands to feed on nectar. It whacks the visitor in about 15 milliseconds, dusting it with pollen without causing harm.

Trigger Plant
(Stylidium graminifolium)

🌱 Reset Time: Once triggered, the column takes anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour to reset to its cocked position.

🌱 Protocarnivorous Nature: Trigger plants have tiny sticky hairs on their flower stems that can trap and slowly break down very small insects, such as gnats, mosquitoes, and tiny flies. This may help the plant get extra nutrients in poor Australian soils.