Misidentifying Plants and Slowing Down

 It has come to my attention that I have made a mistake. I have been misidentifying Morus alba as Morus rubra. I had even made posts referring to them incorrectly multiple times (they have since been edited).

Now, I've encountered mulberry trees all over the northeast out to Iowa. So, when I was first attempting to identify the species, I only really focused on finding trees that are native to North America. I found one: Morus rubra.

The pictures I'd found of Morus rubra looked pretty similar to the mulberry trees I've seen and eaten berries from, excepting the berries themselves. More specifically, Morus rubra berries appeared to be longer. But you know what my dumbass did? I shrugged it off and figured the mulberries look like that when the trees are older.

This mistake wasn't too bad. Morus alba is still edible, in fact, just about all the species of the genus Morus are edible (I'd made certain of that much at least). Yet, this mistake has been a nice little wake up call to the fact that it is vital that I be more dedicated to properly observing and researching.

(And no, the plants do not tell me their scientifically assigned binomials. I'm assuming plants interpret each other and themselves differently from taxonomical classifications. They just show me images and feelings, we don't have in-depth academic conversations.)

As amateur scientists, and human beings in general, we need to learn and continue to comprehend the importance of slowing down.

It's so crucial that we take the time to observe, take note of our observations, and do thorough research. This can keep us safe, better informed about the world around us, and possibly even lead us to new discoveries.

I am so eager to get to know every plant that in the process, I lose myself to impatience. This can not only be fatal, but it is also not true to how I want to walk this world.

I want to walk this world at a steady pace. I want to develop deep bonds with all my relations. I understand that, within my short human lifetime, I cannot meet and connect with everyone. That's just not realistic. However, I can focus on who is right in front of me and learn to appreciate them.