Are you bored of nature?

How nature-distancing is slowly destroying the planet.

Nature photo of the day: dandelion with something to say.

Wet, bedraggled, and with a few cypselae hanging on for dear life,
a dandelion screams
at the top of her lungs -- what do you think you are looking at?!
If you take a good look at her receptacle, 
you can see she really means it.
As for the cypsela, they are not quite ready to fly off
on their own.
Afraid to become something they are not,
every pappus dawdles and dingles,
each achene developed from an inferior bicarpellary ovary fused with the calyx tube,
resisting 
time and wind
to remain for as long as possible on the priest's crown.
Now tell me that nature is boring...

- Cheryl M.

It’s May. It’s wet. It’s incredibly cold for this time of year and not all plants are happy. But they are hanging in there, just as we are, day by day.

As you can see below, the walnuts suffered a little bit(e) in the late frosts which occurred on the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th of this month.

Apples will be non-existent in the village this year, having mostly all blossomed during those chilly days, the pears are very few and far between (mostly on the lowest branches) and the plums are rightfully hanging on, but mold often has a way of taking them over before they fully ripen.

Yet, the grass is strong as ever, even if haymaking will be delayed by a couple of weeks due to lack of warmth and essential sunshine. For nature is resilient — to some extent.

To the person who rarely goes outside, they would notice none of this. That is, until the apples cost 3x as much at the store, only then there would be questions, and perhaps a few choice words.

Gardening and foraging aside, because they are both very slow to mature at the moment, the question that’s been on my mind lately is: are people bored of nature?

I certainly hope not, and yet is seems so — to some extent.

In some ways, the weather keeps people indoors more, especially in times of intense cloud cover and intermittent rain. But that’s more of an excuse than anything.

It’s as if nature has become a passageway (more, or less, beautiful) for people to get from one building to another, and back again.

I don’t often see people, or hear about them, linger/ing in outdoor spaces. Or if they do, they are scrolling on their phones instead of observing the nature that surrounds them. Let’s not forget the outside workers, like the gardeners and construction workers, but they have to be there, in nature, if they want to get paid, whether they enjoy their time outside, or not.

Which brings us to nature-distancing.

Just like distancing of the social kind, it’s not really doing much good for the environment, or for your wellbeing, to avoid being outside, sitting or exploring, in all sorts of weather.

The further we disconnect ourselves from nature, the harder it will be to reconnect when it is absolutely necessary - which is now. Not yesterday, or tomorrow, but in the present moment.

Is nature-distancing slowly destroying the planet? — to some extent, yes, it is.

We’d like to hear your thoughts on the subject, feel free to comment wildly with your ideas and feelings about how nature-distancing has affected your life, or the lives of loved ones around you.

Just look at all this green above and tell me if you wouldn’t enjoy to see it in person?

It’s wild, it’s lush, it’s luring you to peek deeper into the green and notice things that maybe you’ve never seen before. A new-to-you insect flying around, something hidden, someone standing out with flashy green wings…

A bustling meadow is a sacred place full of scents, sounds and colors to notice.

If you ever get bored with your phone, it may be worth exploring nature once again, just as you did when you were a child. Follow the butterfly, chase after the squirrel, just get your body moving outdoors and make nature-distancing a thing of the past.

Did you know that from June 1st through the 7th, it’s International Nature Journaling Week?

We’re joining in the fun - and you can too! All it takes is a notebook, something to write or draw with, a pinch of creativity and access to nature. Starting Sunday, both Csermely and I will start sharing our nature journals.

As for the journal prompt of the day:

Make a list of all the reasons I am never bored in nature.

Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Greetings from the living meadow,

p.s. If you’d like to check out more nature-oriented Substacks, here is the Nature Directory with like-minded and like-hearted nature enthusiasts from all over the world.

HOME | Main Directory