The
serenity of walking through pure nature brings me back again and again to
observe creation live just as I live on this earth. The Noland trail allows one
to see animals and plants alike coexist in a set aside area for this very kind
of nature. One is able to see ferns reproducing and spreading their species as
best they can, as well as turtles who are actually willing to interact with the
humans that come across their path. One experience on the Noland led me to come
in contact with trees that intertwine themselves in order to reach more
sunlight at the top of the canopy. Many of the things that I see remind me over
and over how humans try to control their lives, while nature lets their
circumstances completely dictate how they live.
As I am walking along the path in
the forest that humans have made I notice many things about this unique patch
of nature. There is some property on the Noland that used to be owned by people
and was not a part of the forest. In these properties they had planted around
their houses English Ivy that now grew in the forest among the rest of the
plants. This English Ivy seemed to be twisting its way up each tree big or
small in order to climb to the top so that it could receive better sunlight.
This was such a strange scene to behold in a forest in the city of Newport
News, because it looked as if I was in a deep lush forest in the Deep South. The
green of the ivy was dominating all the other colors in the forest, and was
even covering up a lot of the brown from the trees. I wondered why and how such
a plant was able to adapt to the kind of forest that the Noland trail has to
offer.
After seeing this phenomenon, I was
able to research actually what this ivy was. Hedera Helix is a species that is
originally from Europe, but was spread to America for commercial use because it
can be used in gardens or on houses. Now, though, in the US there are many
states that see Hedera Helix as an invasive species and some even outlaw the
import of it. This is because it can be known to strangle the plants that it
climbs. There are some instances where the ivy has killed other plants because
they cannot have any sunlight and an ivy desert is made. This is an example of
how plants are able to adapt to literally any situation. The ivy can grow
horizontally and vertically because of short roots that grow near each leaf. It
is also a great example of how humans only want to control the environment that
they are living in. People feel threatened by the plant because of its invasive
nature, and the ivy is also slightly poisonous to humans and can be allergic to
some as well.
Maybe as fellow species on this
planet we need to learn a little from the ivy and many other creatures. Instead
of trying to control every little situation so that one can only deal with
things that one has already dealt with, I propose that one needs to act as if a
Hedera Helix. Going into any situation, whether it’s one that one has dealt
with or not, with an open mind and a willingness to change for the situation.
This will help provide a more flexible environment for generations to come and
allow humans to better interact with the environment in which we live. I hope
to move into any situation that I am dealt and am able to meet it without
trying to control it to fit my preexisting personal feelings. As humans we need
to lose the sense of control and realize that nature is in us and that in order
to live we need to give up control just like the Hedera Helix.
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