Nature is constantly at war with itself. Romantics tend to see
nature as colorful sunsets, fox pups playing around their dens,
and bluebirds feeding their young. People with a more
utilitarian outlook see nature as either a source of food (deer,
turkeys, blackberries), or something to be conquered at all
costs (human needs come first). There is truth in all views, but
not one of them is exclusively “correct.” Nature has its warm
fuzzy moments, but in reality, it is, as the saying goes, “red
in tooth and claw.” This holds true for plants as well as
animals. Sometimes I think it’d be kind of nice to come back as
a tree. Trees can live a long time. They provide food and
shelter for birds and other wildlife. They help pull pollutants
from the air and make oxygen for us to breathe. But they are
also food and shelter for insects and fungi and myriad other
pathogens. And then there’s the weather: wind storms, ice
storms, lightning – these can all take their toll. Not far from
my house there’s an area that was once c