“The Author urges upon every user of The Flora that we ever keep in mind the perishable nature of the wild folk we study and that, in so far as we have power and influence, we exert both to the conservation of all of our natural heritage that remains to us, never needlessly maiming nor destroying one of our floral or arboreal citizens, but ever protecting them with zealous care from ruthless hands or ignorant caprice.”
Also, a few more bonus words.
First, on finding a stand of pink ladyslippers (Cypripedium acule) on a field trip:
“We paused, drinking our fill and passed on, not one person violating the unwritten law of the orchid lover. An hour later, as we ate our lunch on the margin of the swamp, a party of robust young men and women from (name withheld) College came along, and each gloried in the rare specimen they had plucked. Cypripedium acaule, your regal beauty is your doom.”
And:
“I am a botanist but have sidelines of birds and beetles, beasts and butterflys, and all the wild folk of woodland and orchard, swamp and lake. All these beguile my hours. I also use my imagination.”
Notes
From H.S.Pepoon: Pioneer Conservationist of Northwest Illinois" edited by Cory Ritterbusch. PrairieWorks. Galena, Illinois. 2011
Our apologies to any who might be offended, but these essays were written between 1904 and 1933. The pronoun "he" was then used to mean "everybody." Today we believe that "we" does the job better - and the quotes above are edited thus.
Pink ladyslipper photo by Bob Gibbons/science Photo Library in Fine Art America.
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