This year we have explored transformations in nature through our partnerships with Brisbane Festival and artist Hiromi Tango. So what better question to wrap up the Festival than:
What transformation in nature fascinates you the most?
The ability of a humble caterpillar to wrap itself in a cocoon and emerge as an ethereal and delicate butterfly was the most captivating transformation, according to 42 per cent of our respondents. Whether it’s a metaphor for the potential for growth and change that rests within each of us, or just the attraction of the vibrant colours of butterflies that can be found in Brisbane gardens, these winged wonders won the day.
Brisbane’s subtropical location brings many advantages. It’s warm enough that we avoid the worst of the chills in winter, while not so close to the equator that we swelter in the humidity of the Top End. But living in the subtropics does mean that we don’t experience the dramatic change of seasons of more temperate parts of the world. Perhaps that's why more Brisbane respondents didn’t choose the changing of the seasons as their favourite transformation.
Former IMB researcher Dr Fiona McMillan wrote in her recent book, The Age of Seeds, that ‘plants evolved seeds to cast their genes forward into the future’. Current IMB researchers are transforming plants into medicine factories – imagine eating sunflower seeds to cure cancer, or potato chips to treat obesity. But despite these amazing possibilities, the growth of plants from seeds to maturity was the least-favoured transformation in nature. Perhaps, as a transformation that occurs all around us, every day, it’s one we take for granted.
The metamorphosis of butterflies - 42%
The changing seasons - 32%
The growth of plants from seed to maturity - 26%
