Max and the secret of the kiwi tree

At home at dinner, I had to eat the kiwi. I reluctantly cut it open and – hey, what was that? In the centre of the kiwi was a large, strangely beautiful seed. It almost looked like it was glowing. Suddenly the kiwi wasn’t so dull.

 

I decided to plant the seed. And why not? I didn’t have a green thumb, but it couldn’t be that difficult. I put the seed in a small pot of soil and placed it on the windowsill in my room. Then I went to bed without giving it much thought.

But the next morning, wow! I could hardly believe my eyes. Overnight, a shoot had developed from the seed and was now sticking out of the pot. It grew so quickly that I could almost see it getting bigger. Every day it was a little taller, and after a few weeks the little shoot had become a real tree! It grew so big that we had to plant it outside in the garden.

 

The kiwi tree quickly became the centrepiece of our garden. Soon the insects came too. First it was the bees. They buzzed from flower to flower and I learnt that they not only made honey, but also helped to pollinate the plants. Without bees, many fruits and vegetables would not exist!

Then I discovered the ladybirds. They were so small and yet so powerful! Mum explained to me that ladybirds eat pests like aphids, which could otherwise destroy the leaves of our kiwi tree. Each ladybird was a tiny hero in our garden.

 

Perhaps most fascinating were the ants. I watched them march in long lines, carrying all sorts of things. They worked together like a perfectly coordinated team to take care of their nest. I learnt that each ant had a specific task and that their community was very dependent on cooperation.

One day I noticed that the kiwi tree was full of ripe, juicy fruit. I picked one and took a bite. It was sweeter and juicier than any supermarket kiwi I had ever eaten. As I savoured the kiwi, I thought about how the small contributions of the insects had enabled the tree to produce such delicious fruit. The wait and care had really been worth it.

 

These insects all had an important role in our garden. I had quickly learnt how valuable each of them was. Not only had they helped to make the kiwi tree a real treasure in our garden, but they had also shown me how everything in nature works together. This adventure – starting with a kiwi that I originally didn’t want to eat – had taught me a lot about nature.