[Aw, hell no. You did not just say that to Flora, who loves nature and knows it has a voice and feelings. Great way to piss her off really.]

It does matter. While you say they have basic intelligence, they probably are a lot smarter than us. They know when to help us if we need it. They have feelings as well and can cry, we just cannot hear it. They are what we need to survive so they should be treated with respect.