#1 How many Nemos can you find in our Cactus Reef?

There are 4 clownfish in our reef, but only 2 of them are nemo characters.

#2 How are these plants different to normal cacti?

These strangely shaped cacti are different because they have a mutation that makes them confused as to which direction to grow, causing them to crest in the curly way, instead of growing into their normal pad-like shapes.

#3 Is this plant a cactus or a succulent?

The mounded plant shown is a type of African succulent, called euphorbia, and not a cactus. Cacti are technically a class of succulent too, though.

#4 Why do these cacti have hair?

Hair protects cacti from extreme weather like sun or snow.

#5 Why do cacti have such long sharp spikes?

To protect themselfs from animals.

#6 How is this tree different to cacti? Why is it different?

Trees are not succulents, unlike everything else in our garden. This tree is also native to Australia, unlike cacti and most succulents.

#7 Why do plants produce fruit?

Plants produce fruit to trick animals into eating their seeds, which helps the plant to reproduce when the animal poops the seeds out.

#8 Why are cacti green?

Inside the plant cell are small organelles called chloroplasts, which store the energy of sunlight. Within the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplast is a light-absorbing pigment called chlorophyll, which is responsible for giving the plant its green color.

#9 Why do these plants have big trunks?

Trunks help store water for times of drought.

#10 Why do plants have flowers?

Flowers, when pollinated by birds or insects, are how a plant develops its seeds. The pretty colours attract the pollinating animals.

#11 What do you think these big stalks are?

These stalks are tree-sized flowers coming from agave plants. The ones that look like giant asparagus stalks are the new flowers, which grow taller then bloom, then they die off and go brown and eventually fall over.  Each individual agave plant only flowers once in its life, and then it dies!

#12 Why do plants have roots?

Roots find water and minerals needed by plants to live and grow.
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