Rivers, Wolves, and Bonsai

     Back in December I published a post on the debate about Turface®. In it I mentioned a principle that we all do well to keep in mind: One's soil mix, watering practices, fertilizing practices, and climate all interact, with each element affecting the impact of each of the others.

A few weeks after I wrote that, I came across an item on YouTube entitled "How Wolves Change Rivers." More out of curiosity than anything else -- after all, how could wolves change a river? -- I followed the link.



I found a fascinating short video about the effects that followed when wolves were re-introduced to Yellowstone National Park almost 30 years ago. There were relatively few wolves involved, but the cascade of changes was amazingly far-reaching! (Yes, the rivers were affected, and for the good.) It is a very dramatic demonstration of the fact that in an ecology, all the parts work together -- whether it's the ecology in a national park or the ecology inside your bonsai pot.

I won't say any more: the video is well worth watching for yourself, and less than five minutes long. To watch it, please click here.

(Unknown photographer, but it's good, isn't it? No assertion of copyright.)

:-)  :-)  :-)