June 2024

As spring turns into summer, we watch the world around us flourish. We see trees resplendent with new leaves. The sequence of flowers – snowdrop, crocus, daffodil, tulip, oxeye daisy, orchid, rose – means that the ecosystem around us is working in a dynamic way to maintain itself, attracting insect pollinators, breaking up carbon dioxide and water to make sugar and oxygen (6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂) feeding the plants, herbivores and omnivores and ultimately the carnivores, all of which, like us, are breeding, and populating the planet. I saw a disturbing statistic recently; the world’s population of humans is increasing by about 1 million per week. The worrying thing about this is that every human, that is you me and the new one being born will require a lifetime of food, and the only source of that is the subject of this note – nature.

Farmers, hunters, foresters, ecologists, engineers, and gardeners all manage nature with the intention of helping it to serve all of us with food, oxygen, water, waste disposal and raw materials that we need to survive. That is ecology, an ecosystem. In today’s world, we cannot live well without those that manage nature. But we can try. We can all cultivate a few food plants. I once grew some wonderful green peppers in troughs on our windowsills. I was also lucky to have a garden to grow potatoes and keep 2 laying hens. So, we were always able to have fried eggs with mashed potato and grilled green peppers. Then for dessert we had locally picked wild blackberries stewed with apple from our tree. We may not all be able to grow our own food, but we are all part of nature. Every green plant (inside or outside our homes) will make oxygen. If we look after them, they will contribute to the planet. If you have a garden that extends beyond 7 metres from any building, plant a shrub or tree and you will make a larger oxygen contribution, plus serving the local insect and bird community. Remember that all that you eat will generate waste, hold your local authorities responsible if the local river or stream seems polluted. Remember that it is your waste that you pay them to dispose of responsibly. That way you will save the lives of countless water creatures and birds such as kingfishers, grey wagtails, ducks, coots, and moorhens that depend on them for food. Then ultimately the foxes, stoats, otters, and buzzards that will prey on those. Remember, our rivers are the vascular system of terrestrial ecology.