PLANTS DOMINATE THE WORLD
sharing my art, and love for Flowers/Flora
Biodiversity refers to the variety of living species on Earth, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. While Earth’s biodiversity is so rich that many species have yet to be discovered, many species are being threatened with extinction due to human activities, putting the Earth’s magnificent biodiversity at risk.
We Humans make up less than 1 percent of life.
There are an estimated 550 gigatons of carbon of life in the world. A gigaton is equal to a billion metric tons. A metric ton is 1,000 kilograms, or about 2,200 pounds.
We’re talking in huge, huge, mind-boggling terms here.
What you’ll see below is a kind of tower of life. Each large block of this tower represents a gigaton of life, and the blocks are grouped into broad kingdoms. There are the protists (think microscopic life like amoebae), archaea (single-celled organisms somewhat similar to bacteria), fungi (mushrooms and other types of fungus), bacteria (you’re familiar with these, right?), plants, and animals.
Plants are easily the dominant life form on Earth, constituting 80 per cent of total biomass – bacteria constitute 13 per cent and fungi 2 per cent. Humanity is only a trace life form on Earth, constituting about one-10,000th of the total biomass.
YET
Despite our small biomass among animals, we’ve had an overwhelmingly huge impact on the planet. The chart above represents a massive amount of life. But it doesn’t show what’s gone missing since the human population took off.
But I got a bit sidetracked here. The original reason behind this post was simply to share some of my art work, and why Flowers *INSPIRE* ( 😁 ) me.
"FLOWERING PLANTS are the most abundant and ecologically successful group of plants on earth," "One reason for this dominance is the relatively high photosynthetic capacity of their leaves."
Flowers are my Muse, and I use them quite often as my subject for painting, They awaken the joy in me, they give me peace in my little garden oasis. Besides providing nourishment they impart remedies for healing, and their essence can help take away anxiety. With a house full of dogs, they help keep my home fresh smelling, and pleasant... that's a big one lol!
We tend to neglect the life forms we call plants, never thinking that they may actually feel, they may sense their environment, and they may actually be providing for us tremendous information about life, about health, about the connection between all living things. Or the fact that without them all other aerobic life would be DEAD.
we tend to cultivate only the ones we want and and neglect or harm the others.
Plants cannot flee but have evolved very sophisticated means of fighting predators. For example, a plant can secrete chemicals that poison the predator or render the plant taste extremely unpalatable.
When attacked by caterpillars, some plants, eg corn, secrete volatile chemicals that attract nearby wasps to feed on the caterpillars.
“The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician. Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind.” ~ Paracelsus
Animals have five senses – sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell. Plants have their own versions of these senses. Sight: plants respond differently to different types (wavelengths) of light. Hearing: playing sound recordings of a caterpillar chomping on a leaf stimulates the plant to secrete anti-caterpillar toxins. Touch: some leaves eg Mimosa pudica, curl up when touched. Smell: plants secrete and detect volatile odor molecules, essential for survival strategies such as deterring pests and attracting pollinator bees.
Plants ARE intelligent. They have their own defense tactics against toxins, and predators. Plants can sense gravity, moisture, light, pressure, and chemicals like nitrogen, phosphorous, salt, microbes and signals from other plants. They will move their roots to avoid toxins or to intake water and other nutrients. They can tell when they come into contact with their own species or other plant species. They will share with their own while compete with other plant species.
and to end with one of my favorite songs:
Tom Petty
WildFlowers
You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
Sail away, kill off the hours
You belong somewhere you feel free
Run away, find you a lover
Go away somewhere all bright and new
I have seen no other
Who compares with you
You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
You belong with your love on your arm
You belong somewhere you feel free
Run away, go find a lover
Run away, let your heart be your guide
You deserve deepest of cover
You belong in that home by and by
You belong among the wildflowers
You belong somewhere close to me
Far away from your trouble and worry
You belong somewhere you feel free
You belong somewhere you feel free
Love, love, love Kara's flowers.
I love your plant art. I also paint.
My favorite in this gallery are many, but the 4th one, the red flower looking at me…. and the last one are the best in terms of vibrational colors. They are really all very nice.
Wow on the gigatons on carbon life…….so we are useless but when it comes to destruction we are horribly insidious.