The moment you name something, you stop seeing it
The mind wants to sort things before it sees them. I’m sure you have been on a walk with friends when suddenly they are … Continue
To the person who has walked past the same tree a thousand times without meeting it
The difference between looking and seeing is precision. Not the exactness of measurement, nor the botanist’s skilled eye noting details, but something gentler. It … Continue
Stop identifying plants. Start encountering them
Most plant teaching uses the eyes as the sole means of getting to know a plant. The plant is over there, and we observe … Continue
Why your body knows things about trees that your mind will never understand
British comedian Tommy Cooper is famous for saying, ‘pick a card, any card’. So today I want you to do something similar: ‘Find a … Continue
Why you can’t think your way back to the living world – and what actually works
Around the time of the 17th century, the world as we knew it died. Prior to this, it was seen as a living intelligence. … Continue
Why naming a plant is the one thing standing between you and actually knowing it
In today’s world, we often turn to a search engine. We type in our questions and rely on others’ insights for answers. But some … Continue
When I sat beneath a willow and the distance between us collapsed – here’s what that taught me about attention
For a long time, I walked through the landscape without really seeing it. The hedgerows were green. The fields were fields. I moved through … Continue
How to go out as one version of yourself – and come back as another
I had always felt most competent as a forager when I returned with something to show. Perhaps that’s why it took me so long … Continue
Why you don’t really know the plants you think you do
People often only learn a plant once. They discover it in summer when it is in full flower and recognisable. They note the leaf … Continue
What if the separation you feel from the natural world is a story someone else told you?
I want to pick up where I left off in the last post. Because after I wrote that last piece, something nagged at me. … Continue