E.O. Wilson

There are a few more words, in addition to those of Walt Whitman (whom I quoted in my last post) that have been buzzing about in my head since I wrote yesterday. The words are those of E.O. Wilson--naturalist, entomologist, and Pulitzer Prize winner. I would like to add them to my thoughts from yesterday, and hope you will think on them carefully. E. O. Wilson tells us:

"Remember the microwildernesses. Nature dies hard. Even in the parking lot extremum, notice the resilient little weed that peeps from a crack in the concrete, the tuft of grass holding on at the curb, the faint colorous span of the cyanobacterial colony plastered next to the ticket kiosk. Look closely for tiny creatures that thrive in their parsimonious midst: the mice, the nematode worm, the caterpillar struggling tot grow into a moth. These last-stand wild organisms, that vanguard of Earth’s inevitable return to green and blue, wait patiently for us to change our mind. Their species are still able to give back some of what we remain so remorselessly bent on destroying."*

While Wilson's words are both meant to serve as an alarm bell and as a call to action in the face of global environmental destruction, I find them also deeply comforting: "nature dies hard," he says. If we can remember to look for the "microwildernesses," we can remember--I can remember--that life is everywhere, all around, even in the most built and barren spots of Manhattan.

I highly recommend any number of his books---especially Biophilia--for those of you interested in nature or in learning more about the natural world.



For more information on E.O. Wilson, see NY Times Topic "E.O. Wilson/Edward O. Wilson," or visit the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity website at http://www.eowilson.org/

*Wilson, Edward O. The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth. New York: Norton Press, 2006.