A plant walk is as simple as it sounds... walking around your own back yard or a nearby landscape to peek around and see who lives there. Plant walks turn an average walk into a magical experience where you get to enter worlds you would otherwise pass by. Plant walks nurture curiosity and wonder and expand your sense of community to include your more-than-human relatives. 

A plant walk is particularly helpful when you are first getting acquainted with a place or wishing to deepen your sense of belonging there. Relationships are what provide us with a sense of meaning in life. How we show up for those relationships is what can establish a sense of belonging. When we live in a way that ignores the livingness of the landscape, we cut ourselves off from the richness of the relationship and the gifts of reciprocity that flow between us.   Belonging to a place takes time and intentionality. 

As human beings living in modern times, we must actively put down our roots in order to develop a sense of intimacy with place. In this case, "putting down your roots" means to establish meaningful relationships rooted in care. That can look like spending quality time with your more-than-human neighbors, getting to know the names of the plants, sitting beneath a nearby tree and listening to the way they whisper to you. It can also look like taking action to protect natural areas, waterways and threatened species.

Plant walks are a fun way to explore who you are sharing your ecosystem with.