What is THAT?

Until I came to college, I had no idea how unusual it was that I knew the names and utilities of most plants and animals I encountered in my day-to-day life. I could tell you which mushrooms were delicious with garlic, as opposed to those that would kill you or leave you running zig-zags around imaginary giant rabbits. I knew which woodland berries were edible and delicious and which would leave you retching in the bushes.

The daughter of a master gardener, I had spent my childhood hiking through the woods, picking stinging nettles for quiches and soups and tea (touching only the tops of course), digging worms wriggling from their dark, damp holes and pitting them against millipedes and pill bugs that I found in the woodpile. I could have even demonstrated to onlookers the utility of the banana slug as a tongue numbing device, although if I ever did, I have since blocked it from my memory.

You can imagine my surprise then, when I came across a YouTube video on Digg.com today proclaiming that a new survey of children found they could identify 1000 logos, and only 10 plants and animals. Yes, that's right. Ten. Collectively.

This makes me quite sad. I could identify more than ten varieties of personal pets as a child, largely because I had at least as many. Not to mention more than ten exotic animals, more than ten farm animals, and far more than ten plants. And I believe my life is better for it. I don't squirm at the sight of rodents or insects-- no daddy longlegs has ever caused me to jump as it does my city-raised friends.

Yes, people sometimes poke fun at me, when, in the middle of the Golden Gate Park's AIDS Memorial Walk I leap excitedly from the trail to seize upon a bush of luscious salmonberries, but I know that inside they are only jealous. Their teasing does little to mask their obvious gratitude at having befriended such a resourceful young woman.