The beauty of Mother Nature

Madam – Mother Earth.

When you think about the word Nature, what comes first to mind? Rain, drought, heat of the sun, plants, animals, rivers, seas, oceans, volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and even tornadoes. Yes, they all form part of nature that becomes intertwined in an unbelievable way.

Nature, in the broadest sense, is the natural, physical, or material world or universe. Although humans are part of nature, human activity is often understood as a separate category, apart from other natural phenomena.

The concept of nature as a whole is one of several expansions of the original notion. Within the various uses of the word today, “nature” often refers to geology and wildlife. Nature can refer to the general realm of living plants and animals. The way particular types of things exist and change of their own accord, such as the weather and geology of the Earth, is often taken to mean the “natural environment” or wilderness.

Earth is the only planet known to sustain life.

Water is a chemical substance composed of hydrogen and oxygen and is vital for all known forms of life. An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a main component of the hydrosphere. A lake is a terrain feature, a body of liquid on the surface of a world that is localised to the bottom or basin and moves slowly, if it moves at all.

A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river. A stream is a flowing body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks.

Ecosystems are composed of a variety of abiotic and biotic components that function in an interrelated way. The structure and composition are determined by various environmental factors that are interrelated.

Wilderness is generally defined as areas that have not been significantly modified by human activity. Wilderness areas can be found in reserves, estates, farms, conservation reserves, ranches, national forests, national parks and even in urban areas along rivers, or other undeveloped areas.

Some fields of science see nature as matter in motion, obeying certain laws of nature which science seeks to understand. The behaviour of matter and energy throughout the observable universe appear to follow well-defined physical laws.

Marina Minnaar