Nature Safety by Morgan (age 9)

Posted by CRAIG WIEGARDT | November 27, 2012 :

We all like to play in nature and that could be our own backyard. But you sometimes need to be careful because some animals and plants can hurt you. Not a lot of animals hurt you right away. For example bees and wasps just mind their own business but when someone or something messes with it or hurts it, it uses its stinger and stings us to defend itself. Lots of animals (just like bees and wasps) have a bad reputation because they hurt us but they’re just trying to protect themselves.  We would do the same only we would use our hands and feet to protect ourselves. 

Plants can also hurt us like poison ivy. What it does is when you touch it it gives you a red, itchy rash. But they only have that itchy liquid on them to tell you to stay away. Lots of animals just mind their own business but when something bothers them they protect themselves. With plants they don’t try to hurt you but they were made to defend themselves. Now some animals have babies and they try to protect them so whenever they see a human or another animal they get all crazy and mean and they might hurt us. 

I don’t think you know this yet but did you know that some plants are smarter than some animals! Yes that's right! For example a Venus Flytrap opens its mouth and waits for a fly or a bee. The bee flies over to the plant and thinks it’s going to pollinate and gets stuck inside the Venus Flytrap and can’t get out so the plant closes its mouth and eats the bug. What it does to the fly is it lands on the plant to rest in the Venus Flytraps mouth and the plant just eats it. Don’t worry too much because you don’t see that plant very much and if you do get too close it won’t be able to get your hand in its mouth.

Now some animals are nocturnal which means they don’t do much during the day but when it’s night time they hunt or look for food. 

Lots of animals and plants can’t defend themselves and get hurt in a fight and life is really hard for them but they try to live through the pain. But if you are talking about a tiny ant it has no chance if you step on one of them. They would probably die in an instant. Lots of plants also have a hard time but if you just let them live you will be doing them a huge favor. So although there are some animals and plants that do hurt you not all do and they don’t do anything to you so you shouldn’t do anything to them.           

Morgan Wiegardt