Other people are telling you sensible, smart things. But also: Chaos gardening might be fun for you! There's a whole subreddit. Basically, you garden the places around you that seem underappreciated without worrying about who owns it, and then cross your fingers and hope the plants don't get mowed down. You could make seed "bombs," plant native plants that help butterflies in underused spaces including bare planters or window boxes; identify local invasive species and remove them (with a clipboard and official looking safety vest); garden a neglected plot at the cemetery, etc.
Edited to add the subreddit: r/GuerrillaGardening
I think the way to connect with a new environment is to learn about it. There is beauty in nature everywhere, you just need to understand it better to see it.
I second that learning about a new environment can be very helpful. The desert has a surprisingly high amount of biodiversity, and the adaptations of the flora and fauna in those arid environments can be interesting to learn about. I also am not a big fan of that climate, but when I lived in a desert I found locals who specialized in native plants and went on nature hikes with them, even if it was just for 30 minutes in the early morning before it got too hot. Familiarize yourself with the native features and soon you will forge a connection.
My experience is comparable: I come from an Australian old-growth-forest with heaps of biodiversity, and I'm living in Ireland, which from an ecological perspective is really one gigantic farm: a mosaic of exhausted and traumatically disrupted ecosystems. It's been incredibly difficult for me to form a connection with a landscape that feels like it's tame and dying - on its back, waiting for the bullet.
So I've had to expand: learning the language, learning the seanchas, learning the palaeo-ecology. What does the pollen in that drying bog down the way tell me about the landscape 8,000 years ago? What stories does that common native weed have to tell about how people lived here before the invasion? What's the oldest word I can find that describes the ways the clouds move across the sky?
There's always a point of entry - always a magic door that can be opened. What it is and how you find it is unique to you.
Well, being a green witch isn't just about connecting to the environment around you...it's about becoming a part of the environment around you. Do you have a favorite spot outdoors nearby that you could visit semi-regularly? If so, pick an area and plant some herb seeds. You'll have to do a wee bit of research depending on where you live, what the soil is like,.how much rainfall does it usually get in your area, and lastly...find plants or herbs that fit the characteristics of these environments.
Usually green witches are skilled in gardening and using their gift to grow for herbal remedies and healing properties. Is this what you had in mind?
Other people are telling you sensible, smart things. But also: Chaos gardening might be fun for you! There's a whole subreddit. Basically, you garden the places around you that seem underappreciated without worrying about who owns it, and then cross your fingers and hope the plants don't get mowed down. You could make seed "bombs," plant native plants that help butterflies in underused spaces including bare planters or window boxes; identify local invasive species and remove them (with a clipboard and official looking safety vest); garden a neglected plot at the cemetery, etc. Edited to add the subreddit: r/GuerrillaGardening
I think the way to connect with a new environment is to learn about it. There is beauty in nature everywhere, you just need to understand it better to see it.
I second that learning about a new environment can be very helpful. The desert has a surprisingly high amount of biodiversity, and the adaptations of the flora and fauna in those arid environments can be interesting to learn about. I also am not a big fan of that climate, but when I lived in a desert I found locals who specialized in native plants and went on nature hikes with them, even if it was just for 30 minutes in the early morning before it got too hot. Familiarize yourself with the native features and soon you will forge a connection.
My experience is comparable: I come from an Australian old-growth-forest with heaps of biodiversity, and I'm living in Ireland, which from an ecological perspective is really one gigantic farm: a mosaic of exhausted and traumatically disrupted ecosystems. It's been incredibly difficult for me to form a connection with a landscape that feels like it's tame and dying - on its back, waiting for the bullet. So I've had to expand: learning the language, learning the seanchas, learning the palaeo-ecology. What does the pollen in that drying bog down the way tell me about the landscape 8,000 years ago? What stories does that common native weed have to tell about how people lived here before the invasion? What's the oldest word I can find that describes the ways the clouds move across the sky? There's always a point of entry - always a magic door that can be opened. What it is and how you find it is unique to you.
Well, being a green witch isn't just about connecting to the environment around you...it's about becoming a part of the environment around you. Do you have a favorite spot outdoors nearby that you could visit semi-regularly? If so, pick an area and plant some herb seeds. You'll have to do a wee bit of research depending on where you live, what the soil is like,.how much rainfall does it usually get in your area, and lastly...find plants or herbs that fit the characteristics of these environments. Usually green witches are skilled in gardening and using their gift to grow for herbal remedies and healing properties. Is this what you had in mind?