Get outside, collect plants, and connect with nature
Since the announcement of the self-isolation period, more and more of the day is spent inside. While it is nice every once in a while to stay home, and now it is easier than ever to not leave the house for long periods of time thanks to services like food delivery.
Perhaps some are feeling that they should not leave the house if they have no reason to. With the weather turning to summer, it is a shame to think that so many people will avoid the outside for fear of catching COVID-19, but as long as social distancing is maintained, being outside is fairly safe. Well, fear not, for the solution to the problem of not having a reason to go outside is to collect plants.
The Fraser Valley and its surrounding areas are rich with a diverse range of plant life. From the thick evergreen forests to the lush fields, late spring is one of the most beautiful times to observe the natural world. For one, the weather isn’t biting cold as in winter, or swelteringly hot as in summer, nor has there been much of the rain that is characteristic of early spring and fall. Not only that, many different plants are in full bloom during this time of the year, offering a much wider variety to choose from.
You may be asking how one goes about collecting plants. While not everyone may be interested, or in some cases allowed, to collect physical samples, the photography of local flora can be an activity that brings one much joy. Whether it’s composing a shot in a flower garden to get as many different coloured plants in frame as possible, or lying on the forest floor in an attempt to capture the towering trees, photography allows the photographer the chance to capture a moment in time, as well as collect the plant they find the most beautiful or impressive. An added benefit of nature photography is that it minimizes the risk of coming into contact with a particularly harmful plant. The brambles of blackberry bushes are recognizable enough, but other plants, such as stinging nettles, are a little harder to discern.
If one is feeling particularly bold, and has the permission of whoever owns the plant, the physical collection of plant samples can also bring one joy. Not only is it kind of fun to scout out a rhododendron bush, looking for the most appealing burst of blooms, it is also exciting to decide what to do with the sample. Once the samples have been collected, they can be put to use in floral arrangements or pressed between the pages of books to be saved for later. Whatever they are used for, physically collecting flowers is something to try at least once.
For the research savvy, after the flower samples have been collected it is fun to fall down a rabbit hole of research. Plants offer a unique opportunity to not only discover what they are, where they originate from, growing habits, and the varying colours they come in, but also what they mean. It was popular, particularly in Victorian times, to send your bouquet with a message. Not as in a card, which has widely become the practice, but with the blooms themselves. Some meanings are still widely known — a red rose is always going to be associated with love — but each flower has its own meaning, which can often vary by the difference in colour. For example, while a red rose means passionate love, a yellow rose’s meaning is friendship.
It goes without saying, of course, that one should not collect flowers without the express permission of the plant’s owner. It is also in bad practice to harvest more flowers and leaves than necessary. Now go out and explore the garden. Happy collecting.
