For most of my life, I appreciated nature without thinking much about how it all worked. Growing up along the New River in Fort Lauderdale, I was surrounded by it. Our yard was filled with tropical plants, fruit trees, and wildlife. We had avocados, grapefruit, lemons, limes, mangos, coconuts, tomatoes, and countless other plants growing around us. It was simply part of everyday life. At the time, I didn't realize how lucky I was. Years later, when we bought our first house,