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A few leaves still cling to the trees and ash keys are abundant as autumn departs in a blaze of glory. The golds, coppers, rusts, bronzes, ochres, browns and tans along with an occasional red, yellow, orange and maroon, lingered long these past weeks and helped raise my spirits as the darkness of winter descended. But winter, like our nights of sleep, is a time of rest for flora and fauna and so is to be valued for its benefits to the following seasons.

The colours this autumn stimulated anew my worship of the Creator, not just because of their beauty but also because of how and why they appear and disappear. The host of pigments present in leaves are hidden by the dominant green pigment during most of the year and only come to the fore as light declines in quantity and quality and the leaves cease their photosynthetic activity. It is this photosynthetic (literally 'light placing-with') activity which replenishes our atmosphere with oxygen and removes the carbon dioxide which we produce in all sorts of ways.

So why am I getting engrossed in biology just now? That the natural world helps us to see our God as 'amazing' is a common theme of worship songs old and new, yet adding detail to the skimpy knowledge we have can enrich our worship. So here are some facts and figures about the diversity of life on our planet.

About 2 million species of living organisms have been classified to date. There are 4,629 mammals (at least there were when the book* I am using as my source went to print - it is the relative numbers which are impressive). Ireland on the edge of Europe is home to relatively few mammals. China is home to 534 mammals, more than 1/10 of the world's total and of these more than 100 are only found in China. There are about 10,000 species of birds and 15,300 fish species, 250,000 species of flowering plants, 69,000 species of fungi and 50,000 species and groups of trees. These numbers pale beside the 850,000 species of insects known to date, over 300,000 of these being beetles. It is estimated that 80-95% of insect species have yet to be discovered. So humankind still has lots of work to do to fulfil God's command to Adam to name all the animals. The final total of species could be nearer 20 million than 2 million. Over 99% of the oceans still have to be sampled for marine life. In total across all organisms about 10,000 new species are being identified each year. So lovers of nature programmes can look forward to lots more in coming years.

These numbers are hard to grasp so to put them in context, do a tally of the species growing in your gardens and on your walks. Counting the number of plant and animal species we eat and use in other ways in our lives - clothes, furnishings and décor - will help us appreciate their abundance and diversity as well as our dependence on them.

Human beings are one species amongst all these millions albeit uniquely made in God's image, part of which is the ability to name and know our fellow creatures. We are also commanded to rule over them but just as God's rule is not exploitative but rather for well-being, so we, on His behalf and accountable to Him, should care for creation for its benefit and not just ours. Jesus told us that the Father looks after sparrows which, in Jesus' day, were ubiquitous and cheap. Can we do less than to enjoy all that God has created and work with Him in caring for and enhancing it?

* Creation or Evolution: Do we have to choose? Denis Alexander (2008) Monarch Books

Ethel White