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Rediscovering Nature in My Backyard

 

Tall Saguaro Cacti Photo

No matter where I travel, I always make at least a little time to explore nature.  Plants, flowers, and animals are so varied and provide endless interest to me as I roam outside of my desert home.  Often when encountering an animal or plant that I have never seen before, I will snap several photos just to be able to figure out later exactly what I discovered.  There have been times when someone is close by and I will ask if they are familiar with what I am admiring. This is usually the point when I am reminded just how for granted we tend to take the nature found in our own backyards.


Photo of Sparrows and Jujubes

I adore the sparrows of my yard, the doves in the grass, or my lantana alive with color but that initial sense of discovery and awe that accompanied my move to the deserts of Arizona has disappeared after 16 years. When I first moved to Arizona from Pennsylvania, I was enamored by the soaring saguaro, the hummingbirds, woodpeckers, and the multitude of other plants and animals that call Arizona home.  Looking back to my many years in Pennsylvania, I realize just how much I began to overlook the squirrels, cardinals, robins, and chipmunks that scurried around my garden.  


Photo of Large Magnolia Bloom

During my recent vacation to Florida, I noticed pods with red seeds littering the ground.  Looking up I saw one or two large white flowers in the trees with several buds not yet open.  There happened to be a gentleman passing by and I asked if he knew the name of the tree.  He said in a rather uninterested voice that they were magnolia trees and that they are everywhere.  After thanking him, I mentioned how beautiful I found the enormous flowers and how I was amazed at how bright the seeds were.  He paused and looked up.  He then began telling me everything he knew about the trees and became more and more animated and excited the longer he talked.  That same enthusiasm for new discoveries was returning for him simply by taking a moment to take notice of something he likely walked by hundreds of times and then share his knowledge with someone else. 


Enjoying nature's offerings in the various places I travel allows me to return and look at my backyard nature with fresh eyes.  When I realize that I didn't see a single hummingbird during my time in Florida, I return home to admire and feel some of that old enthusiasm for them as they flit among the trees.  Exploring our world not only makes me feel alive and appreciative of my surroundings but I hope that for those I encounter, I help them to see their everyday world through the fresh lense of discovery. 

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