"...the persistent and often irrational desire to be surrounded only by those species of which one approves, and to exclude any animals, plants and other life forms that one finds offensive."She mostly speaks about animals--starlings and brown-headed cowbirds (hates 'em); eagles and goldfinches (loves 'em)--but I know gardeners can identify with her thesis (I know I can, on both the flora and fauna fronts).
30 April 2008
Biobigotry
What of those hateful hackberries and that grotesque garlic mustard? Natalie Angier, an amazing science writer for the NY Times, wrote yesterday about our "biobigotry," which she snarkily defines as:
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4 comments:
I have an issue with Bethlehem Star. Someone naturalized it in our front yard before we moved here. And we cannot get rid of it. Its beautiful and more invasive than mint in my opinion. But I get annoyed because of that. If it were more static like Daffodils or Tulips or even Iris, then it wouldnt be so bad. The other is Ticks. It looks like a bad Tick season in Central Oklahoma. I am waiting for an order of Guinea Fowl.
Isn't that kind of what gardening is all about?
Yay, Bill's comment. Discrimination has gotten a bad rap in the last 50 years because the modifier (racial, gender, age, religious) has been dropped.
If people did not have discriminating tastes, then we would be like Kipling's Cat-Who-Walked-by-Herself: all things would be the alike to us. How boring that would be!
I prefer to sort and sift and select. Call me choosy. I think it's a complement!
Thanks to the blog owner. What a blog! nice idea.
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