Learning about nature is not always a happy experience. To learn how nature works it is necessary to know it is a balance and there is death as well as life. Nature always finds a way to maintain this balance, although it might not be in a way we would like.
My daughter in law called crying about her bird house that was knocked over by the wind during a storm. The baby birds that it was housing had perished. I recently witnessed a baby wren die in my driveway after what I assume was from flying into something and sustaining an injury that it was not able to recover from. It was so heartbreaking. But in the same week I witnessed the wonder of 2 young hawks flying from their nest, found baby praying mantises while I was mulching, and watched countless other miracles of nature.
I believe these negative aspects of nature make the positives even more wondrous. For each example of sad nature experiences I can think of at least two happy ones. It can be very challenging to refrain from interfering with natures process when we sense it will have a negative outcome. Sometimes assistance can offset some of the human interference already in place such as helping a turtle that is on the side of the road. Other times our “helping out” can have consequences we can’t imagine. An example of this is stopping a predator from catching it’s prey. It may be difficult and go against our instincts to help a creature in need, but realize that the predator has it’s place in nature as well and keeping it from catching it’s prey could result in starvation. Without predators, the prey species would become overpopulated. This would result in devastation of food sources and starvation of the prey species. This is just a very small part of natures process but I hope it helps to paint the bigger picture.
Nature is a delicate balance that when interfered with can have consequences that are not intended. This being said, some simple acts can be helpful in overcoming other forms of human interference. It is important to be aware of this when becoming involved with or enjoying nature. In my experience the happy outweighs the sad and I hope when you become more aware of nature you will see this as well.
Very beautiful and inspiring post, Lora. Congrats!
Your claim “nature is a delicate balance” encouraged me to post a something that you and your blog readers might find interesting. Here it is:
I’m a a nature lover myself and I do believe that natural ecology protection initiatives should be implemented all over Europe, even in countries boasting the foliage and greenery of wild areas. For example, some months ago, I explored a forestal area in the south of Norway, where the Norway spruce (a type of pinetree) is (for now) a common sight. I particularly got amazed at one scene of splendorous, green spruce trees warmly hugging a hill from all sides in close harmony, like some friends enjoying their togetherness. This beautiful balance should never be disrupted. That’s what I thought.
However, this is my major point, ecologists say the Norway spruce has become a vulnerable species, mainly due to insect outbreaks and ice-break. This made me think that ecology authorities should also take measures to fight spruce vulnerability, devising strategies that help this tree species recover. Preserving Europe’s fauna and flora is a must is we European wish to keep enjoying the magnificence of our natural landscapes.
Best wishes!