It’s about time someone spoke up about cruelty to plants. We
decry cruelty to animals
(and I do like animals), but plants can’t move. They have to
just stand there and take it
without yelping, whining or fighting back — except for some of
our thorny friends.
Yes, we do have cruel plants. Pitcher plants
(Sarraceniaceae) actually live
off insects. However, with most plants, the insects — along
with diseases and other pests
— live off them.
The one pest that’s probably the most detrimental to plants
is people. No, they don’t
mean to be cruel. But just by their thoughtless actions,
they’re killing plants.
Fight for the Nonfuzzies
It is about time for the “Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Plants” to
stand up and fight for the nonfuzzies. It’s time to be heard —
although, admittedly, this
probably won’t get on the 6 o’clock news.
I recently went to a ball game on a university campus. As
usual, the festivities
included a lot of tailgating and barbecuing.
But I noticed later that afternoon that someone had dumped
hot coals out of a grill
between two small bushes. The careless act killed both plants
by burning the leaves and
stems, along with the roots.
Park in the Shade?
I saw three other dumps around trees, along with assorted
chicken and steak bones. One
dogwood was a victim. Dogwoods are known for their shallow root
systems. I could see the
burns on the tops of the roots.
Another problem is that people seem to drive their cars
anywhere, even onto the root
systems of trees. (How many times have you tried to park in the
shade?)
Most trees’ root systems extend out twice the width of the
drip line. Every time
someone drives on the roots, it breaks the small feeder roots
that feed and water the
plant.
Deadly to Roots
When these roots are disturbed, they have to regrow. In a
critical period when the tree
is in trouble anyway for lack of moisture, the difficulty of
food and water getting
through those damaged areas could kill the tree.
And what about just general abuse — parents who let kids
run amok through the
plantings at a public garden (it is for the public, isn’t it?)
or pick a few posies (there
are so many they’ll never be missed), or who themselves walk
across the beds for a closer
look at a particularly pretty (but now short-lived)
specimen?
Other Abusers
What about the hikers who leave the paths for a shortcut
down the hill or the campers
who pour the grease out of the skillet over a patch of
“weeds”?
Plants make public places a lot more pleasant. Every
cultivated and natural area is, in
its own right, a plant preserve.
Treating plants with more respect will go a long way in
improving our environment. Be a
member in good standing of the “SPCP”!
