Here in Cape Town, it is getting colder. It is almost winter here. It differs from being back home since winter means snow, ice, and maybe hail. That is not winter here. It’s very windy now, and the later it gets, the colder it gets. It is interesting sitting here and thinking about winter because it was summer when I first arrived in January. Thinking about this tree near me, I realize it goes through a lot each year. Extremely hot weather, baking in the sun all day, not getting enough water because of droughts, and now a very cold wind.

Something we talked about a lot is how plants adapt to their environment and plants had to adapt to these conditions to survive. It’s not just plants; it’s animals and people. You change with the environment you are in. All things on this planet have had to adapt to survive, and I am curious about what this tree had to do to survive in this climate.