Mom Nature – Good or Dangerous?

by Rachel Burrows, Grasp Gardener

There have been a number of situations these days when horrible “pure” issues have occurred. The disastrous wildfires, the tragic floods in Texas and plenty of extra. Are they attributable to Mom Nature or is one thing else at work right here?

I reside near the Warsaw Caves Conservation Space in Douro Township and stroll there typically. The derecho storm of three years in the past precipitated huge harm — timber have been downed and uprooted within the path of the highly effective wind and torrential rain. You could possibly name this a catastrophe and blame Mom Nature.

Nonetheless, the next spring I had by no means seen such gorgeous swathes of white trilliums (Trillium grandiflorum) the place the timber had been. Trilliums favor semi-shade, significantly underneath maples and aspens and it had been too shady underneath the evergreens. Mom Nature compensated with an incredible show the place the timber had been uprooted and destroyed.

I used to be strolling on the Caves not too long ago and noticed 5 foot tall trembling aspens and a few younger maples that had taken benefit of Mom Nature’s assist in offering the additional gentle to flourish.

This final winter was colder and snowier than we’ve had for a number of years. You may suppose that we’d have misplaced a few of our fantastic wild flowers. Not a little bit of it.

Mom Nature placed on an incredible show of our native pink columbines, (Aquilegia canadensis), harebells (Campanula rotundifolia), violets (each purple and yellow), wild bergamot (Monarda fistula) and plenty of extra. We could have grumbled concerning the chilly and snow however Mom Nature placed on fantastic shows in consequence.

The wildfires have precipitated huge harm and it’s simple guilty Mom Nature. Nonetheless, most of them have been attributable to people and the bulk are attributable to warming temperatures.

Mom Nature does her finest to revive the panorama with crops resembling willow herb ( Epilobium augustifolium), also called fireweed. The indigenous folks have used this herb as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.

One thing I realized this week is that since lowbush wild blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) like an acid soil they flourish in areas after a fireplace has gone via. The truth is, wild blueberries are being planted as firebreaks attributable to their low gas load and fireplace resistant properties and the flexibility to be managed via managed burns and pruning.

Mom nature is superb and fantastic and we people appear to do our greatest to work towards her. We are inclined to blame Her for a lot of so referred to as “pure” occasions when most are attributable to our polluting habits. Local weather change is actual and though Mom Nature does her finest to compensate for the outcomes, we have to do extra to assist her.

Should you wish to take pleasure in Mom Nature at her finest, go to lots of the fantastic conservation areas and parks which can be obtainable to us. Take just a few precautions to protect towards bites from black legged ticks as they’re the first provider of Lyme and different ailments. They’re significantly unhealthy in April, Might and June however attributable to our hotter winters they are often discovered yr spherical. Put on lengthy pants tucked into socks and long-sleeved tops, and test your self rigorously after strolling in fields and woods.

General Mom Nature is sweet, so get exterior and luxuriate in all of the fantastic issues that she has given us and depart the locations as you discovered them, take your rubbish residence and don’t be tempted to dig up any crops!

For Extra Info

Peterson’s Area Information to Wild Flowers ( North and Central North America)

Examine by the Nationwide Analysis Council of Canada and the Kineepik/ Metis native 9 ( wild blueberries as firebreaks)

Local weather change, ticks and Lyme illness danger in Canada – Public Well being Company of Canada