I Like Plants

Seeing as I’ve struggled enough already with this week’s post, I’m once again drawing inspiration from Onur:

from Onur via Snapchat

Each of my social medias is filled with photos of plants. I regularly spam my sister, alternating nature photos with bad selfies. This weekend I ended up going to Alley Pond Park in Queens for the BioBlitz and still only got to see a small portion of its expanse. I only managed to take a couple of photos the entire time.

My dad likes to joke about how often I have to clear out my phone because of all the photos I have on it. There has to be a reason beyond the simple “I like plants” — though that’s true. But there’s a sort of introspection that being in or around greenery allows you. This is nothing groundbreaking. But it’s different from snapping quick pictures of some flowers on the side of the street. I came home last night feeling a high not only from the people I’d met and worked with, but also from getting to spend that time in the park together. And it wasn’t even wholly immersive; we’d been next to roads and parking lots and administrative buildings, on our phones and with other equipment, and yet there was still something that felt removed and separate, though we could see the highway at times.

Since I didn’t get to take any other photos at Alley Pond, these are from elsewhere.

I was busy throughout the day so there wasn’t much time for processing, but I’m the type of person who looks back through my phone gallery after getting home, or later in proceeding days. Sometimes I’ll scroll back to a random date and look at a few pictures from then. I want to try to relive what has passed, whether it be the experience of seeing some plants walking home or spending part of the day outdoors. Beyond nostalgia, my phone screen becomes a small portal to return to that greenery.

 

This was on Friday.

Onur and I went on to talk about how “Snapchat is an illusion,” and yes, these photos are mere simulations of the “real” thing. But they remind me of what I was doing and feeling at the time, and the few photos from Alley Pond will prompt me to remember and think about what I learned that day.

Essentially, in addition to the wildlife facts I was told, I also realized some things about myself yesterday, and going to the park was what allowed me to do so. When I told my supervisor (who’s a plant biologist) that I’m an English/linguistics major, she responded that “nature is for everyone.”

— Lora