The day began on February 21st. It was cloudy and breezy with periods of a light drizzle coming and going. I decided to venture down south to New Braunfels to visit a couple of friends, which was only about a thirty minute drive from Austin. As the community was located in the Hill Country, upon arriving, I decided to go venture further into the land.
During my little trip, I came across a strange plant on the ground. It was a circular plant sprouting from the grass with menacing, spiny leaves. After doing some research on it, I found out that it was a Cirsium vulgare, more commonly known as the Bull Thistle. It happens to be aggressive biennial herb that is currently listed on the Invasive Plant Atlas of the U.S. It’s an ecological threat because it is a highly competitive and persistent plant that has a tendency to invade pastures, and prevent the growth of nearby plant species. As I continued walking, I began to notice that the Bull Thistle was probably beginning to invade the area I was at, as I continued to notice more and more smaller ones scattered on the ground.
Also, as I walked along the path, I saw a bright yellow butterfly fluttering above the tall grass. It then descended towards the grass, and rested there for a few moments, where I managed to get a close picture and was able to marvel at its beauty. I was then able to identify the species of the butterfly; its called the Colias eurytheme, more commonly known as the Orange Sulphur or Alfalfa Butterfly. It is a very common butterfly in Texas, and is often seen in open fields, such as where I was. These past few weeks my stress levels have been relatively high, given everything ongoing at school. However, I realized that my stress levels immediately drop as soon as spend a couple of moments embracing and being at one with nature.
After momentarily admiring the butterfly, I then continued walking only to be met with immediate sadness. There was an ongoing construction project, and they were beginning to clear out the land in order to expand the community. The scene reminded me of what I used to see in Peru when I lived there. There was always constant ongoing land clearing/ deforestation due to farming, oil, or mining. Although you can’t compare the significance of deforestation in the Amazon to the Hill country in Texas, it still involves the destruction of our environment.
It is definitely sad to see how we humans have continued to put our own interests first, at the expense of the environment. We still don’t realize the extensive and irreversible effects in land clearing, whether it is small scale or large scale. The irreversible clearance destroys an entire ecosystem, eventually leading to environmental effects and damage. Land clearing puts a strain not only on the native animal populations but also on the earth itself.
“A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke of the axe he is writing his signature on the face of the land.” – Aldo Leopold