Heroes Not Zombies

In the chateau down in Blaye there are some abandoned buildings. Look what happens when a man-made structure is left unattended. Nature begins to reclaim the territory. In the photo on the left you can see the advance of the ivy over the window, and in the one on the right you can still make out where the window is, you just can’t see it any more.

During the lockdown and even during this time of eased restrictions, it is clear that human beings have to a certain degree retreated and the rest of Nature has been left to reclaim the world. Many people have commented on the amount of birdsong they can hear now, and that’s not all down to there being less traffic. Some of it seems to be there are more birds in and around our gardens and streets now.

This summer has seen a sudden surge in wasp numbers in this part of the world and one of the explanations given for that is also the temporary retreat of human beings into their houses and gardens. It seems there has been less vigilance on the part of park and grounds authorities so wasps’ nests have been left unattended and allowed the wasp populations to proliferate.

I think each of these examples reveals how intricately interconnected we all are on this planet…..and by “we” I don’t just mean “we humans”, I mean “we living organisms”……humans and other animals, birds, insects, and plants too.