This we have now is not imagination.
This is not grief or joy.
Nor a judging state,
or an elation, or sadness.
Those come and go.
This is the presence that doesn’t.
Rumi
It’s not that I didn’t already know. I had been aware of the decline in wild things for the last few years. But the news this week that our insect population is in serious danger of extinction confirmed my worst fears.
This is not some extreme environmentalism on my part. I’m actually concerned for our own future, the future of us humans more than anything. Oblivious to our reliance on nature, many of us fail to make the connection between an insect free home and an insect free planet. Because as soon as they disappear from this world, we will be next.
I’m just like everyone else, there were times I dreaded those spiders webs full of flies, or our windscreens littered with little bloodied bodies after a long drive. Even the night creatures, moths and bugs, flying around the external light on a summer’s evening. They could all be a bit of a nuisance.
Although I live in the heart of rural Ireland, in the middle of acres of grassland and forests, many of these familiar sights are no more. I saw a tiny spider crawl out from behind something the other day and I was delighted to see it! In the past no matter what you picked up, you would find some kind of long legged creature lurking there.
Between agricultural clearance, pesticides, hunting, and the lack of imagination to plant some variety in the meadows, a kind of stagnation is sweeping the land.
We have done our best to leave our couple of acres grow wild. It helps to give the animals and birds some cover and some clean space. But it’s an uphill battle. The hares are gone now. Rabbits are scarce. I waited last summer until July before the butterflies returned. Smaller numbers every year.
I won’t try to sugar coat this. You may not have really noticed yet. But here in the wilds of County Waterford we are on the frontline. We are not just facing this decline, we are IN the decline.
Is there hope? Well Gretta Thurnberg is my current hope for the future. It’s a big weight on her shoulders, shared by schoolchildren all over the world. But it might be too late already.
We can help Gretta to carry the hope. It is just frightening to realise how much we destroy.
This evening a practice for tomorrow’s military display. Tracer bullets arcing across the sky. Heavy artillery firing behind the mountain, and I hear and FEEL it. How much sea life will suffer!
Yes Diana, we have to help her carry the hope! There are still a lot of things we can do…….but then you have to wonder about what makes people think heavy artillery displays are any kind of a good idea!!! The mind boggles……..Let’s hang in there and feed the birds. I have a wonderful pheasant jumping up on the bird table these days. He’s a riot! The natural world goes on at some level I hope…..
Dear Catherine, I read your post with tears this morning…at 5:00 am Pacific Standard Time in the great Pacific Northwest where I’ve always heard a symphony of songbirds at the beginning of the dawn. For the past few years…only a few stalwart American Robins. We had the largest vegetable garden ever this past summer, but it took until mid-summer for the butterflies to find their milkweed. I’ve been feeling the loss for some time now. I mourn it. We are going to Scotland for nearly a month in the spring this year (2019) and I am anxious to talk with people about their experiences with their wild land. Peace to you and yours. Susan Troccolo (a new author website coming…new writing on the wing.)
P.S. I heard Gretta speak yesterday. She and the young spirits who will inherit our precious blue planet know the truth of what we have done in our earth’s history, its wars, its striving for short term gain. Daily I cringe at the role that the United States is playing in backing away from its responsibilities. How I detest the man in the White House and his ignorance. I hope you know and believe the greater percentage of Americans are sick at heart. As you write above, there are still many things we can do and yes…the natural world *will win out! (even if mankind passes away…)
Dear Susan, how lovely to hear from you. It’s all so shocking and it seems we are in a far more advanced stage of the decline than anyone was prepared for. I’m so sad too! Every day I look out for signs. I can’t help it, because I live in the heart of nature. There are so many signs. I am hoping to bring some people together here to maybe make a local plan for the future? Perhaps people already think I’m a little bit nutty caring so much. But that’s me!! Peace to you and yours to Susan x
I love your site for that reason – you *do* live in the glorious heart of nature. We have carved out one acre in the city, yet it has always been chock full of nature as well…that’s why I’m so aware of the losses little by little. But we are here to love too! Yes? We can do that beautifully along with our efforts to grow consciousness along the way. Thank you for getting back to me today. It makes me feel connected to you across the globe. I’m grateful to know that a woman like you is fully alive and well in Ireland today! Sending love and light back your way-:) (I’m quite sure you are not “nutty” to care so much, if that is the case – then there are lots of us-:) Sus
Yes!! Great to know you are there thinking about this too and there are a growing number of us now. Every little thing we do counts……x
Hello, I’m writing from Minnesota where the snow is coming down at an inch per minute right now. My husband and I have tried to make our small suburban yard a welcoming place for birds and butterflies and bugs and whatever other creatures wander into it by not using weed killers and pesticides and leaving a patch wild. The wild patch, which we created with a bunch of native seeds my husband sowed there a few years ago, has been quite a revelation with the amount of bird, bee, and butterfly activity we’ve seen there. It’s been astonishing to both of us how much of a difference it’s made. But we know we aren’t the norm, even though there are several neighbors who plant native plants and make rain gardens to help the environment. And our small effort is not enough; I worry that there will be little left to salvage by the time my 7-year-old granddaughter is an adult. Nevertheless, watching the birds and other animals that come through our yard is the best medicine for anything that bothers us. And that’s the awe we want to share with anyone on the fence about the decline of our natural world. Your photos, by the way, are just beautiful.
Thank you so much Kathleen. And it’s so good to hear about diverse groups of people all around the world who care and are trying to make a difference. You are doing exactly the right thing by leaving a percentage of your land to wilderness. Now if I could just persuade the farmers around here to even leave 10% it could make a huge impact! Just as I was sinking in the gloom, a plump pheasant has turned up at my kitchen door every morning looking to be fed. I know he’s probably a product of some gun club breeding programme, but going eye ball to eye ball with him has cheered me up and reminded me that all is not lost. Let’s keep on keepin on!! x
Not sure how much i can add to the comments already shared…we are all feeling it…all over the world. So so sad… I could name numerous examples and from several countries I’m currently visiting. I’m not sure what it’s going to take to wake up our world and say ENOUGH!!! Gorgeous images as always and love seeing your part of this big world.
Interesting to hear about your observations from all your travels. And yes it’s devastating…..On a positive note….I’ve just come across a lovely project called We are the Ark, which is striving to encourage us all to do our bit as individuals and communities. Until I find something else I will cling to that!! http://wearetheark.org/