Message tree

We invited people, who visited our NZ International Science Festival exhibit, to share their ideas about:

What makes backyards happy spaces for us and nature?

Forty or so messages were hung on our tree:

• Over half mentioned birds, but bugs and other small critters (20%) were also popular, along with trees (23%) and growing food (20%) or flowers (14%).

• Almost quarter described the pleasure they get from being outside – enjoying the air, sun, rain, seeing big skies, with one person describing the feeling the ‘breeze swishing through their hair’.
• For others, it was the enjoyment they get from gardening with their whānau (family), providing refuges for nature, or playing outside, sometimes with their pets.

Check out our leaf gallery below.