John Muir once said that everything he touched in nature was found to connect to some other part of nature. In other words, we are living in a natural world where nearly all aspects of life, not just our own, but all life is interconnected and thus interdependent. This means we need to be careful of what we change or disrupt in nature.
This brings to mind a phenomenon that occurs continuously around the world.
Plants and animals
have many things in common, but food stands out as one of primary
importance. Animals, of course, can move
around and secure their food where it exists, plants on the other hand need to
find food where they happen to sprout.
Plants are at a disadvantage because they can be the food of animals
whereas the reverse is not so common. In
addition, plants that happen to sprout where there is no food (and water) don’t
last long, do not flower and therefore make the decision not to reproduce in the
particular area. Plants that find tough
conditions then become the rare species of the area----maybe even extinct. So be it, Nature is in control for the most
part unless we, the animals, interfere with the natural process in which case
the outcome is usually an even more rare plant.
Unless, of course, we animals need the plant for food in which case
we create the conditions (irrigation, hot houses, cultivation, insect deterrents,
etc.) that allow the plant to grow in profusion.
But, so much for
plants, what about the animals that can move about and find favorable conditions.
Here is a good
example of an animal that moves about for its food. Twice per year, once in the late fall and the
other in the early spring, American Robins (Turdus migratorius) move through the region here in central Texas on the way to their nesting grounds in the northern states, and while passing through they search for food . They eat bugs, not seeds,
and the bugs are classically earthworms. One old robin once said “it’s the early
bird that gets the worm” and we know this is true. The robin is noted for its travels in search
of bugs and worms. At this very moment,
flocks of robins are here in central Texas on their way north. And, they go to the far north, liking not
only bugs and worms, but moisture and cool weather that create the environment for
their food. Here in central Texas,
especially at this very spot, we seldom see an earth worm, but do have plenty
of bugs in the wintertime—right now they appear to have found their food in the
screens that cover the gutters of the roof as I can hear them pecking away at
the metal screen---that helps us too as it keeps the bugs out of the rainwater
collection system, water we use for our drinking water. So, they have enough food for their short
stay. They will all be gone in a week or
less. They have been here for only a few days and will soon be gone on their
northward journey. They never stay here
as there too many places both south and north of this location they prefer. In their breeding season, the summer months,
its too hot here.
In our minds, this brings up the story on fish. Whenever you see a young child fishing, you can count on the child thinking that all water has fish and the fish are equally distributed through the water. All one should have to do is to bait the hook and cast that into the water and wait. Depending on whether the fish have found this particular location a good place at which to eat, the wait might be a long time.
It would be an
interesting study to determine how much time one needs to fish before learning
that fish are to be found where there is food and not necessarily where you
choose to cast your lure. For us, before
we began to be more observant of nature, it took many years of fruitless
fishing to realize this point. But the
phenomenon of food as the center of concerns exists here with fish too.
Recently a video (youtube)
showed a view from a tourist ship moving through the interface of arctic waters
and pacific ocean waters. Observable were
many large fish at this interface feasting on the small fish that were visible to
them and were flourishing at this fresh water, salt water interface.
Before we pass over
it too lightly, isn’t this interface of two waters, fresh and salty a something
to note in itself.
One often wonders how the fish pass the word to other fish that this is the place to be for food.
Another learned
example of the importance of fish feeding at the interface. My friend and fishing friend David found that
fishing the Mississippi River near the end of habitation is often productive for
large Seatrout when you can find the interface between salt and fresh
water. If you think about this and look
at a map, your natural response is that this area should have no saltwater as
it is too far from the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico.
But, not so, salt
water has been found near the bottom of the Mississippi River all the way to
Baton Rouge. That is made possible by two
factors, one is that the bottom of the riverbed is lower in elevation than the
surface of the Gulf and the other is that salt water is “heavier”, that is has
a higher specific gravity than does fresh water, allowing the salt water to
flow back up the river as the fresh water is flowing to the gulf. At this interface is food, freshwater food,
that the large seatrout find good to eat.
Again, animals go
where there is food. The examples are
everywhere. The backyard birdfeeder,
corn for the deer, the list goes on and on.
Now comes the interesting
part.
Why do cities exist,
especially today? Of course, the answer
is so that people can get "stuff" and to collaborate (for both good and bad reasons).
Focusing on getting stuff, how about food. Is it more convenient to get food in a city
than it is in the countryside? Sure is,
people in rural areas have far less choice and have to travel more distant to
get their food. Imagine a city of 5
million people and not one garden nor even one producer of beef, chicken or seafood. People get their
food when hundreds of trucks arrive daily to distribution points delivering
food from processors across the nation and even from other countries. People without an income can eat in cities
and would find it difficult to procure free food in rural areas. No doubt about it, cities are like bird
feeders. Provide convenient food and people will come. All a very natural process, but in this case
heavy assistance from man himself.
______Sightings_____
Spring is still some
many weeks away, but there is some signs that spring will arrive. The birds that winter here are all in a
frenzy for the mating season, the licogiums are up but not blooming, the honey
bees are busy on the flowers of the rosemary, the buds have swollen on all the
deciduous trees, and so on.
This nice specimen of
a buck stepped in front of the lens of the camera and even posed for a second
while this picture was taken, then bolted away.
Deer hunting season has closed and I think he made it for another year.
