Dictionary dumps nature words

The Oxford Junior Dictionary which is aimed at children around the age of seven dropped nature words like "beaver" and dandelion"
In the latest edition of its dictionary for schoolchildren, Oxford University Press cut nature terms such as heron, magpie, otter (one of my favourite mammals- the other is the manatee), acorn, clover, ivy, sycamore, willow and blackberry (the fruit but not the Phone).
The electronic Blackberry was one of the words that was inserted instead, along with Blog, MP3 player, voice mail and broadband.
Canadian wildlife artist and conservationist Robert Bateman, whose Get to Know Program has been inspiring children to go outdoors and "get to know" their wild neighbour for more than a decade, said the decision is telling kids that nature just isn't that important.
"This is another nail in the coffin of human beings being acquainted with nature," Bateman said.
"If you can't name things, how can you love them?"
Vineeta Gupta, who heads children's dictionaries at Oxford University Press, wrote that changes in the world are responsible for changes in the book.
"When you look back at older versions of dictionaries, there were lots of examples of flowers for instance," she said. "That was because many children lived in semi-rural environments and saw the seasons. Nowadays, the environment has changed. (Don't we see the seasons anymore? If we don't maybe, we need to step back and reflect on why we aren't seeing the seasons. I am certainly aware that it is winter out there!)
I am do love the benefits of technology but we need to remember to live in harmony with nature and should be encouraging children to do the same.