Noticing nature
By Dr Danielle Shanahan
“It came to me while picking beans, the secret of happiness.” Robin Wall Kimmerer.
We are now well into spring, with signs of it all around us. The puawānanga/clematis is sitting proudly on the hills at Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, and the kōtukutuku/tree fuchsia is regaining its leaves. We have heard our first pīpīwharauroa/shining cuckoo of the season.
Modern living means that these types of changes often go unnoticed. If this sounds like you, it might be time to go out into nature a little more often—for your own wellbeing!
Seasons have shaped humanity for millennia and are intricately connected to our interaction with nature. Wherever you look across the globe, seasons determine what crops are planted and when, when various plants are harvested, and when we should hunker down or get cracking.
Urban living means we have lost much of our opportunity to get out into nature—and certainly, most of us no longer rely on that interaction for our immediate survival. While it might be important to check the weather as we head to the train station, the supermarkets ensure that we can access tomatoes at any time of year.
The net result of this is a widespread ‘extinction of experience’ of nature.
Noticing nature provides a critical opportunity for mindfulness, and an opportunity to reconnect with the land that ultimately sustains us—even if it might not be so obvious anymore. That mindful experience of nature, and ‘attention restoration’, is one of the key reasons that Western science points to for the myriad of health benefits we gain from spending time in nature. From reduced chances of suffering from depression and stress to improved blood pressure. The benefits are very real and measurable.
Of course, one doesn’t have to return to living off the land to gain these benefits. Simply taking the time to notice what is flowering at different times of year, what birds are singing (and how they are singing!) is both fascinating and indeed really, really, good for you.
If you need a little help, we have some tips to help you to ‘notice nature’. For example, we currently have a whānau activity book that can help you and your family notice what might be happening at the moment in the sanctuary.
Or perhaps you could do a little research into the local maramataka/Māori lunar calendar. For us here at Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, we are learning from our tangata whenua partners about the importance of paying attention to the maramataka—the calendars which were developed over centuries and provide local insights into changes in te taiao. These help us understand things like our energy levels and what activities might be suitable and when.
Or you might love participating in the Garden Bird Survey—if so, keep doing it! Don’t wait for that once-a-year organised opportunity (side note, ebird.com or Inaturalist.com are great places to pop your observations for scientists to use and study patterns).
For me personally, I keep note of when I see the rewarewa flowering on the hillside and when I notice the birds forming mixed flocks in autumn.
We’ve just celebrated Mental Health Awareness Week, which is a great reminder to think about how you interact with the seasons and the changes in the world around you—what can you do to reconnect?
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