Margaret Renkl: I'm Margaret Renkl.
I write about the flora, fauna,
politics, and culture of the American South.
I have written about nature,
not specifically about the environment for most of my life,
but I started focusing more and more on the environment
as the news about the environment got grimmer and grimmer.
I have mixed feelings about Valentine's Day, but it is sweet.
I've been married for 35 years.
So the surprise valentines are a dim memory for me,
but my husband and I do celebrate.
We go out to dinner, or we write a sweet note or a card,
but we don't have roses in the house.
Valentine's is problematic for me because of the flowers
from an environmental standpoint.
Cut flowers are an environmental crime.
If we think about the real purpose of flowers,
flowers aren't beautiful for our delight.
Although, we take great delight in their beauty.
Flowers exist because they attract bees and butterflies.