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Ear to the Ground

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? Flower Heaven

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Posted on Jul 7, 2010
Flickr / Hamed Saber (CC-BY)

As much as one-third of all flowering plants face extinction at the hands of humans, according to new research—and that’s not even factoring in climate change. Such a die-off would have a devastating impact on the food chain. As one of the researchers put it, “if you get rid of [plants] you get rid of a lot of the things above them.”

The Guardian:

“If we take the number of species that are currently known to be threatened, and add to that those that are yet to be discovered, we can estimate that between 27% and 33% of all flowering plants will be threatened with extinction,” said David Roberts, one of the co-authors, of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent.

The paper adds: “These estimates are based on immediate threat, and do not consider further development of destructive factors - including climate disruption.” The paper’s third, lead, author was Lucas Joppa of Microsoft Research in Cambridge.

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By samosamo, July 8, 2010 at 10:32 am Link to this comment

****************


How can anyone prevent this when the sanctity of human live is
above all and all other forms of life have their priority rescinded.
And the sanctity is that the unfettered growth of the
7,000,000,000 people will be guaranteed to keep sustain
exponential growth. Stupid silly humans trying to appear wise
and benevolent(sapient)

Report this

By Ed, July 7, 2010 at 12:20 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

I expect humans are eventually going to drive 90% of species to extinction (hopefully including themselves).What else could you expect from a species so arrogant as to call itself “homo sapiens?”

I’m sorry to burst your bubbles but it is not wise to call yourself a divine being while treating the planet like a sewer, breeding uncontrollably and destroying without forethought.

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By john crandell, July 7, 2010 at 10:40 am Link to this comment

I’m a landscape architect and have been an avid gardener since I was five years
old. Just after I’d read the first sentence of this article, the phone beside me here
on my day off from work happened to ring. Yes, of course, it was the Democratic
campaign committeee.

At the mere mention of Democratic, I let her have it full blast and x-rated. As a
veteran of the RFK and McGovern campaigns and as a veteran of the U.S.
experience in Vietnam and Chile, all I’ve got to say to both major parties, to the
POTUS and the five member majority of the Supremes is that you can all go stuff
cucumbers up your asses. Japanese Cucumbers, no less and over-ripe.

Those of you in the know, know exactly what I mean…..

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By wyldtngs, July 7, 2010 at 4:23 am Link to this comment

My garden is my church and I attend daily.  Most people do not realize that one of first flowers visited by bees is the skunk cabbage.  People turn up their noses at the lowly skunk cabbage.  I was dismayed to see it growing on my property until I saw how it attracted the bees. They literally are covered from head to toe with pollen when they emerge from their visit to this flower. It blooms early on, sometimes when snow is still on the ground and it grows prolifically in damp boggy type soil.  I will never disturn this flower bed.  Don’t know if the pic will show up, if not, check it out on google images.  All praise and glory to the lowly skunk cabbage!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1022/551658597_8b5a10685f_m.jpg

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kerryrose's avatar

By kerryrose, July 7, 2010 at 2:59 am Link to this comment

Which flowers, and why?  How are we killing the flowers beyond the effects of climate change?  I wish there was more info.

All I know is that when my garden blooms, it becomes alive with wildlife.  Bees of all sorts buzz from flower to flower, butterflies, too, of all sorts, and birds hang out there.  They hop in it and around it, and I don’t know why.  Maybe to eat the bees and butterflies.  I feel pleased that a whole little world revolves around the garden.

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