Giving Thanks

I THOUGHT I WOULD REMIND readers, and me, of the miracles up in the sky and on the ground. Literally, they are right in front of us every day. Kudos to our glorious sun and to the green plants that inhabit our planet.

Plain and simple, we need the sun and green plants to support our existence. Photosynthesis is the process in which green plants use the energy from the sun to make their own food. Without it, there would be no animals.

Yep, we’re in this together.

Plants know how to make food and medicine from light and water, and then they give it away.

Robin Wall Kimmerer

Braiding Sweetgrass

Photosynthesis starts when chlorophyll absorbs energy from sunlight. Green plants use this light energy to change water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and nutrients called sugars. The plants use some of the sugars and store the rest.

Photosynthesis is critical because almost all living things depend on plants for food. Photosynthesis is also important because of the oxygen it produces. Humans and other animals need to breathe oxygen to survive.

It is all remarkable, even if you’ve never understood the Krebs Cycle, which was not one of my strengths and still isn't.

To study plants is to witness the most fundamental engine of our existence—a quiet, enduring miracle that grounds, sustains, and nurtures humankind. AI

Have you thanked a plant today?

I’d highly recommend it!