Beauty in a Forgotten Ecosystem

            When we take a step onto a perfectly manicured lawn we don’t often think about the underground world we tread upon. But beneath every step we take, whether it is in a carefully decorated garden or into the archaic beauty of a forest, lays an intricate hidden world full of life.  

One afternoon last week I had the opportunity to delve into the unknown labyrinths inhabited by soil organisms. My classmates and I each dug up two large cubes of soil- one from the forest floor, one from the neighboring field. Armed with our notebooks, pencils, and curiosity we set to work dissecting our miniature models of the soil ecosystem.

As I carefully picked through the entangled matrices of roots and decaying plant life in the forest cube, I was alerted not only to the bountiful life dwelling there, but to the beauty of nature’s artwork. The forest soil cube held many wonders. 

            A small stick with fungus growing upon it. Tiny organisms scurrying about desperately trying to avoid my prying fingers. 

          A small seed bud just beginning to blossom. Whereas normally, walking above ground, I would overlook these minute details, now, with my senses honed in to look beyond the ordinary, the scenes unraveling before me were transformed into the extraordinary. The mold on the stick was no longer just fungus, no longer just a piece of the complex web of life I was witnessing. It was also a masterpiece in and of itself. Later on, back at the lab, I was able to see under a dissecting microscope its frayed edges, the perfectly placed striations, the rich earthen colors. 

            Even a seemingly ugly piece of decayed leaf held beauty and purpose. The veins still visible, showing the vast network from a previous life, now decomposing in order to render new life in the soil.

The soil cube from the field was covered in a simple, green grass that masked the complexity beneath. The underside revealed the burrows of worms and other organisms, twisting their way through the rich soil. 

            This cube held a crowd of larger, more easily visible and recognizable organisms. I uncovered multiple earthworms as well as ants, beetles, and even a lonely cricket. 

      Looking closer at the cricket back at the lab, I was surprised by its almost symmetrical appearance and humbled by the tiny details seemingly carved onto its glistening back. Even the physical soil itself was beautiful to behold. The deep dark brown that was the body of the soil was riddled with small, lighter brown streaks. 

The two cubes of soil perfectly embodied the concept that soil is not just lifeless dirt, but a complex ecosystem brimming with life. While the forest and field cubes had their differences, they both clearly displayed the complexity of the subterranean ecosystem and the natural beauty found within it. In an interview with Kevin Stuart from the University of Hawaii in 1984, the notable soil scientist Hans Jenny declared that “if you are used to thinking of soil as dirt, which is customary in our society, you are not keyed to find beauty in it.” We do not realize how true this statement is until we take the time to experience the magnificence of the soil for ourselves. We must look beyond the dead dirt we initially see before us and probe into the diverse ecosystem overflowing with natural beauty.