Stormy weather takes its toll.

The damage in the bush, caused by the storm on 10 June 2012, looks destructive but is actually essential to the ecosystem.

Fallen branches provide extra habitat for insects and other invertebrates. The insects then provide food for birds like robins. Lizards use the logs for shelter. The extra light now getting to the ground helps new plants germinate and grow to fill the gap left by the fallen tree.

Fungi and termites help break down the timber so that nutrients can be recycled back into the earth. These nutrients are then used by the surrounding plants to grow.

The scar left by a fallen branch may become infected by a fungus that breaks down the wood. This is the beginning of a hollow that will be used by parrots as a nesting site, or by bats and owls as a daytime roost.

Don’t look at the storm as a destructive force that broke a branch or felled a tree. Look at it as nature’s way of providing habitat and nutrients for the continued survival of all living creatures.