Introduction to Nature's Dark Side

Mother Nature has a dark side with many organisms that are poisonous.

Pristine, rejuvenating, healing, grounding, tranquil. This makes nature sound benign and just the thing to soothe you from the stresses of civilization. But is nature really benign?

It’s a jungle out there. Those cheerful birds singing are often defending their territory from potential rivals. Most animals nurture their young, but male gorillas sometimes commit infanticide by killing the young offspring of their rivals.

Then there are plants. There are no hard figures on the number of poisonous plants, but experts think there are thousands of species of them throughout the world. Fungi, too. I’m sure you know that mushrooms can be poisonous, but did you know that fungi often contaminate food and produce dangerous chemicals called mycotoxins?

Is nature out to get us? I don’t think so. There are reasons why so many organisms are poisonous, and my goal for this newsletter is to introduce many of these toxins and when possible, explain how these toxins benefit the organisms that produce them.

How did I end up here, you might ask?

You are probably asking yourself “Why did she choose such a grim topic? Is she a homicidal maniac?” The answer is a hard NO. I would say “I wouldn’t even hurt a fly,” but that reminds me of the end of Psycho.

I was the only child of two gardeners, and I got into plants at a really young age. I created my first garden when little more than a toddler by moving different kinds of mosses to a central shrub.

I continued my fascination with natural history as I grew up, read widely, and collected insects, shells, and herbarium specimens.

At some point in childhood, I discovered that many plants make chemicals to defend themselves, and I thought and still think that is utterly fascinating!

Caffeine, nicotine, cocaine – all chemicals that plants are thought to use to fend off pathogens or predators.

Many of these chemicals are toxic to humans. Think the green spots in potato tubers. That got me interested in biological toxins in general.

Not surprisingly, I studied plants in college and earned three degrees - a BS in Agriculture, an MS in Plant Pathology, and a PhD in Plant Pathology with minors in Biochemistry and Microbiology.

I also did research in Plant Biochemistry as a Postdoctoral Fellow, abused avocados (for science, of course!), and earned my own USDA grant.

Wounding plants is one way to stimulate them to produce defensive chemicals.

Photo credit: Helga George

After academia and an array of jobs, I started writing and editing professionally under my company name of Plants Rule. I currently enjoy my work as one of two co-editors of the Southwestern Entomologist, although it’s not doing much for my phobia of ticks.

How often will I publish and what will it cost?

I plan to publish articles on this topic every other week and keep the articles free. I will reserve paid upgrades to additional information on the topics – and to help me afford to continue writing on these topics in depth. Paid subscriptions will be $5 a month or $40 a year.

To make sure you don’t miss future issues, please add this email to your contacts or move it to your main inbox.

Thank you for reading this

I appreciate that you took the time to read this and will sign off with the signature quote from the 1967 cult British TV show The Prisoner:

“Be seeing you.”

---