The picture that illustrates the concept

 When I think of diversity, I picture plants of different species together. I think of wildflowers in a meadow — Indian blankets, bluebonnets, coreopsis, Indian paintbrushes, sunflowers and phlox. 

In the forest just south of Stone Mountain, I see stands of plants. I see perhaps a thousand pawpaws, a cloning plant, within the footprint of a house. I see a few willow oaks in that stand, but they are crowded and perhaps will be crowded out.

I also see stands of mountain laurel and wild azalea. I don’t see many individual mountain laurels mixed with other species. When I see a mountain laurel, it’s usually part of a stand.

Similarly, the fern banks along the creeks are dense. The forest floor seems to be carpeted.

We use concepts in understanding the world. They are wonderfully useful. But when we picture a concept, we should proceed with caution. Sometimes, the picture we have in mind does not match what we see.