|
Introduction
Nature stories, myths and legends about plants and animals have been told for many centuries and sometimes even date back thousands of years. They are ‘living stories’, by which is meant that they alter in the course of time,
because they are modified by the predominating culture and by the storyteller’s preferences.
A plant or animal comes far more to life for many people, young and old, when it figures in a story or an anecdote. A good nature story ensures that they are instilled with a sense of wonder; they look and listen more carefully. So when they see a skylark, they will think about the story of why it sings as it flies through the sky. Or during a walk in the woods they will remember why the oak keeps its leaves in winter. Each month a story appears on this site about a plant, animal, bird, insect or tree from Western Europe.
In 2003 this nature story site was started in The Netherlands for the benefit of nature guides wanting to take groups of people on nature excursions. In 2008 the translation of the stories into German and French were added, followed by English in 2009.
Click on the menu above to access the other stories or background information.
Everyone is welcome to use the stories for nature excursions or courses. For publication purposes prior permission must be requested.
© text and photos: Els Baars, Holland, unless otherwise indicated.
English translation: Sarah Hopman-Edge
|
Tale of the month
THE BEE (nr.27, jan 2012)
Why the bee dies when he stings
When we think ‘bees’ we think ‘honey’. But did you realize that the hard-working bee is an essential element in producing a third of all the food we eat? These humming insects are really valued far less than they should be considering the work they do for us, because we often want more honey than the bees can actually do without. A long time ago the bees were almost threatened with extinction. Fortunately, this disaster was averted just in time. To do so, however, the bee had to pay a high price. Draw near and listen to my story:
In the beginning of our time there were many useful animals who generously shared their riches with people. For instance, the small wild sheep, the moeflon, gave wool to make warm clothes with. The hens were happy for people to have a share of their eggs. The bees gathered honey out of the flowers; some of this they allowed people to use for their pleasure.
This paradise-like beginning was followed by a period of greed an cruelty in the world.to read the rest of the story, please click here
honey bees (Click once to enlarge)
|
