I can't kill any creature or plant, great or small, on good conscience. That even goes for "weeds". I have always wondered why some plants are "weeds" and others aren't. The dictionary defines Weed- (noun) A plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth. So even a rose can be a weed if it is growing in your bed of lettuce.My reluctance to kill weeds was put to the test this weekend. The kids and I celebrated Earth Day on Saturday, by going to Save The Bay's Wetland Habitat Restoration. Apparently there are a bunch of "weeds" taking over the Wetlands, and volunteers were needed to remove them so that other native plants could grow. The "weeds" were beautiful purple and yellow flowered plants that broke my heart to pull out of the ground, but the professionals assured me that they were not good for the habitat. I did my part to collect the weeds and dump them in a compost bag, until my two year old made it clear she was ready for a nap.
Sometimes you just have to trust that the people who are saving the bay for a living know what they are doing. I am glad they are doing what they are doing, but in the future, my first choice of volunteer work, will be "planting" rather than "weeding".
So today the world celebrates Earth Day, but as my ten year old was quick to remind me, EVERY day should be Earth Day. Well, at least on showtheLOVE it is!
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