I recently experienced a beautiful day in a friend's native plant garden, an attempt to restore a riparian habitat in a suburban, canyon setting. I volunteered as a docent during the Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour. I was rewarded for my effort in so many ways.
I gained a gift by simply being in a small area of nature for 8 hours and watching the day progress. I witnessed the coming and going of birds, small mammals, and lizards. I spied on a hawk courtship, spotted a flicker, and charted a woodpecker's travels through favorite trees. I delighted in the aroma of old growth live oak and redwood, the sweetness of everlasting, and the familiar pungency of sun drenched white sage. I felt the temperature changes as the sun moved across the sky, creating ever changing dapples of cool shade and warm sun. I enjoyed the resilient vitality of the young meadow plants.
Several hundred people attended the tour site over the course of the day. Each brought their attention and interest, a conversation, a story. Teachers, artists, bookkeepers, scientists, horticulturists, and children, all nature enthusiasts, roamed through the garden. Each offered the hope that together we could heal some of the damage done to our earth, to give back as we enjoyed each other and the unfolding of the day.
— January Nordman
I gained a gift by simply being in a small area of nature for 8 hours and watching the day progress. I witnessed the coming and going of birds, small mammals, and lizards. I spied on a hawk courtship, spotted a flicker, and charted a woodpecker's travels through favorite trees. I delighted in the aroma of old growth live oak and redwood, the sweetness of everlasting, and the familiar pungency of sun drenched white sage. I felt the temperature changes as the sun moved across the sky, creating ever changing dapples of cool shade and warm sun. I enjoyed the resilient vitality of the young meadow plants.
Several hundred people attended the tour site over the course of the day. Each brought their attention and interest, a conversation, a story. Teachers, artists, bookkeepers, scientists, horticulturists, and children, all nature enthusiasts, roamed through the garden. Each offered the hope that together we could heal some of the damage done to our earth, to give back as we enjoyed each other and the unfolding of the day.
— January Nordman
