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| Circle of life |
Ah, my. For those to whom much is given, much is required. I consider it a privilege to live in the country.I read an article that saddened me...
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| Osprey |
Provincial "Flower" Dominates Landscape This
Spring
Posted May 23, 2013 By Jeff Maguire
EMC Lifestyle - Spring has sprung and despite the rollercoaster temperatures one of the traditional harbingers of the season is now among the most prominent features in our community and across the district. The resilient dandelion always survives....
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| Everyone loves dandelions! |
It is only recently that the Osprey are on the rebound.
"I know my correspondents on the anti-pesticide bandwagon (the winners in this debate as it turns out) will continue to scream and send more mail when they read this column."
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| Devil's paintbrush |
You bet! For those able to live in the country, there is much responsibility. We owe it to the critters with whom we share this earth, to respect them and nature. Lawns are not natural. Having a pristine lawn need not mean grass. We adore our lawn which, now that dandelions have gone, will soon be featuring Devil's paintbrush. It is all green. Clover is a great alternative. |
| Honey bees – bees are dying from pesticides |
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| Natural ground cover |
Many modern city folks are filling in small lawns with shrubs, bushes, and gardens filled with beauty. It's amazing how those who embrace nature are those who are unable to live in it. |
| Dutch elm disease is killing it |
Some give rural Ontario a bad name. It is up to us to keep on top of lessons learned.
Dutch elm disease, for example.
Endangered, extirpated or extinct animals are the lessons we need to learn.
I'm not the only one who is upset with this. Read what a wildlife biologist wrote (posted with permission).
Stewart E. Hamill - sdgcfo.ca
Jeff Maguire’s column (May 23) on dandelions and the cosmetic pesticide ban points out how narrow-minded, short-sighted, and selfish people can be when considering the environment and human health. If he would look up from his lawn he might see that the numbers of birds are increasing also, because fewer are being killed by the effects of pesticides. Yes, I have no scientific evidence of that, just anecdotal observations, but Jeff’s entire column is based on anecdotal evidence also.
My wife is a community nurse and she knows that cancer is rampant in our region. Again, no scientific evidence of what is causing it, but toxic chemicals are a leading candidate. We should try to eliminate as many as possible whenever feasible.
Jeff points out that the applicators of pesticides were wearing regular clothes. That’s the best evidence yet that the chemicals were not being applied properly or safely. If the professionals wouldn’t even follow directions, how could we expect ordinary citizens to take safety precautions?
Along with seat belt, smoking, and helmet legislation, the pesticide ban shows that sometimes issues are too close to people’s personal selfish concerns to be left to their own decisions.
2 comments:
One of our local bee keepers (and the one I buy from) was written up in the newspaper when he recently found hundreds of his bees dying. The farmer adjacent to him had just planted corn and there is something on, or added to it that releases into the air which kills the bees. Apparently quite a few bees are being lost to this silent killer.
It is sad about so many people using pesticides. I wish it would stop. Great shot of the Osprey and the flowers are pretty. Have a great evening and weekend ahead.
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