Sunday, April 10, 2011

We depend on our roots

Pine tree roots, Hardy Falls Walk.

Mallards and Roots. Notice how smartly camouflaged the female is!
The photo of the pine tree hanging onto the hillside on our walk started me thinking about roots. Firstly, how similar they are to our arteries. They both start out big, then subdivide into smaller and smaller tubes, ending up as root hairs or capillaries. But they work in opposite directions. Food and water go up the roots, down the arteries. Also roots function as stabilizers for plants, holding them in one place securely. Our food system is derived from lungs and stomach, because of this, we can move about on the Earth, in our fast cars, unlike the plants which are fixed to the ground. However, we are completely dependent on plants for our food and oxygen. Even if we aren't vegetarians, meat comes from plants originally, doesn't it? Now we just have to stop cutting down trees, multiplying, fouling the air by burning plants (=coal, oil, gas) polluting the water, and we've got it made!
Mexican Roots, Puerto Vallarta
Thought for the day then, we need our roots!

4 comments:

Desiree said...

Oh, I love this! And the roots on this last photograph are incredible! Such a vast and complex system, Hanne is dwarfed by them. I wonder how old these trees are? And how much life is being supported by them? Great thoughts you've shared with us here :)

Hugs to you both! xoxo

H said...

How interesting that, as a doctor, you immediately thought of roots in terms of the physical life givers (and quite right too), whereas my first thought was to where my historic and spiritual roots have been sunk (and how strong they are).

I love the Tolkien quote:

'Deep roots are not reached by the frost.'

jennyfreckles said...

The female in the last photo is not quite so well camouflaged... Interesting linkage of thoughts in this post, roots has so many meanings.
You asked about the blue background to my magnolia - it was sky! We've been having very unseasonal warm, sunny, summery weather. Delightful.

Friko said...

to be rooted is good, to be rootless is seen as bad. roots are metaphors for so many things.

roots are important, in so many ways. it would be interesting to follow 'roots', the word, I mean, down the winding paths to its many meanings, don't you think?

I might do it one day, unless you do it first.