THOUGHTS ON A HORESHOE CRAB SHELL
Its carapace lies on the shore
More ancient than the dinosaur.
It spawned a hundred thousand roe
A tasty treat, as Thai folk know,
And food for heron, gull or tern
Or any shallow water bird,
A good arrangement all around
To hold an overpopulation down.
Phragmites, called the common reed,
Can generate a million seeds
Or send its runners all about
To crowd its native neighbors out,
Though grazing cattle can contain
Its spread and keep the landscape sane.
The pink wild rose stays in its place
And does not seek to dominate
While multiflora roses shoulder
Their way around, forever bolder.
What lessons can we humans take
From other species’ use of space?
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