Earth Day 2019

In 1970 on April twenty second, millions of people protested about negative impacts of industrial development. Smog was becoming deadly and pollution was believed to cause developmental delays in children. United States Congress and then President Richard Nixon responded quickly by creating the Environmental Protection Agency and environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act and more.

Earth Day now is a global event celebrated yearly on April twenty second with an estimate of more than one billion people in one hundred ninety two countries taking part. The theme for this year is Protect Our Species. Unfortunately, human beings have upset the balance of nature over hundreds of years. As a result, the world is facing the greatest rate of extinction since the dinosaurs became extinct more than sixty million years ago. 

We must work together to protect endangered and threatened species like BEES, ELEPHANTS, GIRAFFES,  INSECTS, WHALES and more.

BEES are vital for providing us our food. Without them, pollination of crops doesn't occur. Many species of bees are under threat and some have already gone extinct. To help bees thrive you can plant FLOWERS they love such as SUNFLOWERS and MARIGOLDS. In the photo above, a bee is on a BLACK EYED SUSAN in my yard. Do you see the little worm?

Other INSECTS like the pretty BUTTERFLY on my phlox in the photo above, also pollinate most of our plants and flowers. Insects have been around for more than three hundred million years and grasshoppers existed before DINOSAURS.

I think it was in the nineteen nineties that I saw elephants and giraffes at King's Dominion amusement park in Virginia, the state where I live.

ELEPHANTS help the ecosystem by flattening forests and grasslands, creating habitat for smaller species. They also dig water holes which are used by other animals. They travel long distances in search of food. As they travel, they disperse seeds in their waste which generates new green growth. 

GIRAFFES,  like elephants, also disperse seeds in their waste helping to supply more green growth. Because giraffes are so tall, they can spot predators far away. Many animals use giraffes as their early warning system. When animals see giraffes run, they run too!

Can you imagine a world without elephants, giraffes, whales and other endangered animals? Do what you can to prevent that from happening. Some things you can do are not buying anything using parts of these animals, don't use pesticides and plant flowers for insects. 

Remember, once an animal is extinct, it's gone forever.