Natural Selection

    At the base of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is the idea of natural selection.  When living things reproduce those off-spring are not exactly alike.  Their genetics have made each of them a little different.  Genetics might give some offspring a trait that gives them an advantage over the others, and over time, those with the advantage will be more successful in competing and thus survive and reproduce, eventually the offspring without the advantage will be disappear, leaving just the advantaged.

    That is happening in our shady small garden of Bishop’s Goutweed.  Originally all of the goutweed had variegated leaves (the plants you see with the white bordered leaves).  There was no goutweed with just green leaves. 

    A few years ago genetic modification must have thrown up a plant that had just green leaves. Having just green leaves meant the leaves had more chlorophyll and so it could generate more food for the plant in the shaded area than the variegated-leaved plants.  So each year the green leaved plant were healthier and overtime they have crowded out the variegated plants and started to take over our flower garden.  

    I like the variegated leaved plant better, and I would have been smart to pull out the few green-leaved goutweed years ago, but I didn’t and now, every year as the green leaved plant spreads, the job becomes harder.  If I do nothing, eventually the variegated goutweed will totally disappear and the garden will become nothing but the green goutweed.

You can view my paintings:  davidmarchant.ca