Misconceptions about the environment

This is a post by an ecology PHD student on Reddit:

"Ecology" is such a huge field that covers a lot of different systems and scales, so I don't know if it's possible to identify the biggest misconception, but a few come to mind:

• People not understanding that honeybees are (at least in North America) basically livestock, not native pollinators. And that if you want to "save the bees", focusing on honeybees is one of the worst ways to do it

• Thinking that "forest" is the default healthiest ecosystem and that we should plant trees everywhere to save the planet

• The impact of cats on small bird and mammal populations. Cats kill BILLIONS of animals every year, mostly just for fun. But many people seem to think that it's "natural" to let their cat roam outdoors and hunt whatever it comes across.

Other small and more specific misconceptions include:

• Being upset about culling overabundant deer populations and thinking that we should just "relocate" them

• Extremes of opinion on non-native plant species; either that all non-native plants are invasive and have to be removed, or that there's no such thing as an invasive plant and that we should just leave them all alone

Teasel

Dipsacus fullonum, syn. Dipsacus sylvestris, is a species of flowering plant known by the common names wild teasel or fuller's teasel, although the latter name is usually applied to the cultivated variety D. fullonum var. sativus.[2] It is native to Eurasia and North Africa, but it is known in the Americas, southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand as an introduced species.

Two mallards walked the path with me until there was a turnoff. On the way back they flew away eventually. There was also a mourning dove. 

It's an overcast, drizzly day. 

Catalpa

 

They rain down flowers on the path, quite beautiful, but I don’t want to step on them. Southern catalpa: “The catalpa has the distinction of bearing some of the showiest flowers of all the American native trees.” The natural range of the tree was in central Louisiana, but seems to have adapted all over America and southern Canada.  

Clover, honeysuckle and mulberry

 

Article in honeysuckle. 

Like knowing names

I showed my son my meditation spot, where the turtle came up and meditated with me, and told me I was enlightened. I'm not going to repost a photo here of that, there's a million posts about that spot on here.

I've googled the trees outside my window. One is a Norway Maple, and the other is European Ash (pictured above).

Blue Flag

Snails

Fragrant

Rosa multiflora (syn. Rosa polyantha)[2]is a species of rose known commonly as multiflora rose,[3] baby rose,[3]Japanese rose,[3] many-flowered rose,[3] seven-sisters rose,[3] Eijitsu rose and rambler rose. It is native to eastern Asia, in China, Japan, and Korea. It should not be confused with Rosa rugosa, which is also known as "Japanese rose", or with polyantha roses which are garden cultivars derived from hybrids of R. multiflora. It was introduced to North America, where it is regarded as an invasive species.

I hear at least 3 of these bird songs walking by the lake.