I am interested in nature because I live in it -- as we all do. The synthetic world being sold to us as a substitute for the experience of actual nature amounts to empty calories for the thirsty soul that thrives on the unpredictable yet somehow familiar, ages-old multitude of lives that contribute, along with the Earth itself, to this incredible, self-sustaining miracle.

The rewards of a deeper involvement with nature enable me to put up with my figurehead position as president of the Native Plant Society of New Mexico.