There has been no response to my query about how plants know that the time is right to start new growth following the cold winter months.
One wonders whether anybody knows the exact details of this phenomenon.
Man, with all of his marvellous creations, often seems to be missing the larger picture as to how these creations may have impacted in a negative effect in an area that the developers never anticipated.
A few examples – the Kariba Dam.
What effect did this enormous dam have on the weather patterns in Zimbabwe? Before Kariba the mighty Zambezi flowed down to the coast, and then, a few years later, a huge expanse of water covered the earth that satisfied the needs of man, but at what cost?
Was there a climate change? Were the traditional migration routes of animals affected?
In my windsurfing days, I can recall locals in the Howick area stating that they were convinced that after the Midmar Dam had been built, the weather patterns, especially as far as the summer storms were concerned, had changed.
I cannot recall exactly where in the United States a highway that had been constructed affected the migratory route of a certain frog species.
The frogs still followed their traditional migration route but, when crossing the highway, many failed to reach the other side before being flattened by the traffic.
There was such an outcry that the authorities were forced to build an underpass under the highway so the frogs could happily go hopping to wherever they needed to be.
The question of plastics hardly needs mentioning, but the convenience of plastic containers, bags etc. makes our lives easier in many ways.
Unfortunately, the downside of plastics is that many of the most pristine areas in the ocean, have become floating islands of plastic, and that is only what can be seen.
Below the surface, the minute plastic particles are killing off ocean life. Locally, we also have evidence of this, albeit on a smaller scale.
Last week I was cycling on the beautifully tarred road leading up to a retirement complex.
A great deal of thought obviously went into the construction of the road.
A bricked footpath runs along the entire length of the road and, at night, solar lighting lights up the road.
Danger spots are indicated by red reflectors positioned in the middle of the road.
Anyone who has used this road cannot fail to be impressed by the quality of the construction.
But, there is a “but”! While cycling along this road towards the Dududu road last week, I came across a land crab in the middle of the road.
This crab had obviously fallen onto the road and, since the side pavers prevented it from exiting the road, it was doomed to spend the rest of the day, or its life, in a man-made canyon.
The developers never gave this any thought, I am certain, but to this crab it was a major issue, although he did seem to object to being removed from the road.
The Tour de France, Wimbledon, French and USA Open tennis championships are over for the year, and now with the Rugby World Cup starting this weekend, at long last, the remote belongs to me!
