This spring, on a whim, I brought home 12 narrow-leaf milkweed seedlings from a Rivers & Lands Conservancy membership event and planted them in my front yard. They are a key plant in the conservancy’s native plant pollinator gardens as a food source for monarch butterfly caterpillars. I was hoping to attract monarchs to my yard, but I had my doubts.
The migratory monarch butterfly population is estimated to have declined by 99 percent in California. I have only ever seen one tattered-winged monarch in my yard in Banning. That butterfly, which I reported in 2019, was the only sighting in Banning on the Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper.
All the same, the milkweed grew and by June, through some sort of butterfly sorcery, the monarchs had found them. I saw five and then spotted females laying eggs in August. By September, I had 12 fat caterpillars feasting on my offerings. I never raised monarchs in elementary school. So, I may as well have been a 12-year-old.
I watched the caterpillars slough off their skin to become a chrysalis. I tracked the chrysalises as they turned from opaque jade to a thin membrane barely obscuring the black and orange pattern of a monarch’s wings. Then I watched six butterflies plump, dry and test their wings before making a lazy exit to join the migration.
As I watched the last of my butterflies spiral upwards on its way to join the waning migration, I felt a powerful rush of awe. I had added six souls to this inexplicable journey to winter in Coastal California and Mexico. I was a part of something I could barely understand, but knew took place every year long before I started my short time on earth. I hoped it would continue long after I was gone.
As I mulled over my small contribution, I also considered my role as co-executive director at Rivers & Lands Conservancy. If a tiny patch of milkweed could make me a positive contributor to something so amazing, then what was the impact of the 3,000 acres of wild open space we steward in perpetuity? I felt small, but I felt connected to something so huge I could barely fathom it. More than this, I wanted others to have this feeling as well and I wanted to do more. This, at its core, is the power of awe.
Seeking awe in nature
Nature is one of the easiest places to experience the emotion of awe. While philosophers and poets have delved into the meaning and power of awe for thousands of years, it has only been in the last two decades that science has studied this emotion.
Today, psychologists describe awe as a moment of experiencing vastness, or feeling that we are a part of something much larger than ourselves. This is followed by a need for cognitive accommodation or a change in perspective.
When we think of experiencing awe in nature, our thoughts go to standing beneath a giant sequoia, watching a meteor shower in the Mojave Desert or maybe the vast patchwork of a wildflower super bloom. Yet, awe can be sought and found in much smaller patches of nature. All it takes is to give nature our full attention.
In their 2023 book “The Power of Awe,” authors Jake Eagle and Michael Amster encourage readers to hone their ability to experience awe in everyday life. The book is based on the authors’ research at Northbay Hospital and UC Berkeley. Working with more than 300 patients and 200 hospital staff and frontline workers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, they discovered that “micro-dosing” awe was a fast and powerful method to improve overall well-being.
Their clinically proven A.W.E. Method takes 20 seconds; those practicing this method three times a day experienced reduced anxiety, chronic pain and burnout. The research also showed improved clarity and purpose.
By pausing to give our full attention to something as common as a sycamore leaf, examining its network of veins and considering how it nourishes a tree, we expand our awareness and realize we are a part of something vast. We are not alone but connected. We feel smaller, but we also feel more inclined to connect with others, participate in our communities and do what is best for everyone, not just ourselves.
Eagle and Amster speculate that when we feel awe, our body releases oxytocin, the “love hormone,” and everyone struggling with loneliness could use more of that. While oxytocin is primarily released during positive physical contact with others, awe can be experienced alone. You do not need another person to feel that rush, but you can definitely share it with someone you love.
Further benefits of nature
A study published in 2021 found that people who spent time in nature reduced their odds of being lonely by 28 percent. Spending time with family and friends in nature can certainly boost our mood. Yet, even when people spend solitary time in nature they are more likely to feel spiritually connected and less likely to be lonely.
Science is not yet clear on the optimum amount of time spent in nature to reap the most benefits. Some studies have demonstrated a decreased level of the stress hormone cortisol with just 20-30 minutes walking or sitting in nature. Other studies have found that people who spend two hours in nature over the course of a week were more likely to report better health and well-being.
However, all the research agrees that any amount of time in nature is better than staying inside. In addition to a sense of connection and lowered stress, time in nature has been proven to decrease anxiety, increase cognitive abilities, lower blood pressure and boost creativity.
Fortunately, California’s weather invites outside activities nearly year-round. As the most biodiverse state in the nation, there is also a wealth of ecosystems to explore no matter where you live. While this is a great reason to visit our state and national parks, you do not have to travel far or seek isolated wilderness to find benefits in nature. You can get the same results by visiting nearby city parks or nature preserves, walking on local trails and working in the garden.
If you bring curiosity and a desire for discovery to your nature dates, you can increase the impact even further. Getting to know the plants, wildlife and seasons of nearby nature havens inspires awe and creates a sense of place and a connection to it.
Get to know the birds
Birds make us happy, and scientists have done research to prove it. A study out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo found that hikers who heard birdsong while hiking felt more joy and overall had a more positive experience.
Another study, by the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research, looked at the life satisfaction of 26,000 people in 26 European countries and compared it to the level of bird diversity where they lived. The study found that people who lived near natural areas with a greater number of bird species were much happier. When the researchers factored in the socio-economic data of the people surveyed, they found that seeing 10 percent more bird species increased their happiness as much as a 10 percent increase in income.
Planting bird gardens and putting up bird feeders can attract more bird diversity to your yard, encourage you to step away from your screen and provide more opportunities to experience the benefits of nature. Finding and identifying birds by appearance or by song requires focus and attention to detail, opening you up to more impactful nature experiences and feelings of awe.
Using Cornell University’s free Merlin Bird ID app on your smartphone can help you discover species you have never noticed or perhaps did not even know existed. In addition to providing a list of regional birds with photos and natural history, the app can identify birds by sound. Just turn on the sound ID in a quiet space outside and let it run while it lists all the birds it hears.
Even if you can’t get a raise, you can at least benefit from discovering the diversity of birds that surround you.
Invite nature to your garden
California native plant gardens also offer a deeper connection to nature by providing habitat and food for a greater diversity of local wildlife. Native plants can attract new birds and pollinators to your yard, inviting new experiences in nature and moments of awe.
But you don’t have to convert your entire yard to native plants. The addition of just a few plants can attract new birds and pollinators.
There are many great resources to discover the best native plants for your landscape. California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is one of the best places to start. CNPS’s Calscape website provides all the resources you need to find plants native to your area, their growing needs, the wildlife they support and what local nurseries carry them.
If you are looking for inspiration on a design for a native plant garden, CNPS’s Bloom California website provides a selection of possibilities. There are even suggestions for container gardens for those working with a small space.
Volunteering for nature
Perhaps the most effective way to immerse yourself in the benefits of nature is to volunteer for nonprofit organizations that are working to beautify and restore the environment. There are numerous opportunities throughout Southern California to participate in beach clean-ups, tend community gardens, plant trees and restore habitat.
Land trusts, nature preserves, parks and grassroots organizations all offer opportunities to get outside and volunteer your time in meaningful ways.
Beyond getting an emotional boost from making a difference in a significant way, volunteering makes us feel connected to our communities while also feeling that we have something important to contribute.
There is always the possibility of making new friends when you connect over common values. Volunteering also empowers us, proving that each of us can create change and make the places we live better. This alone can greatly improve our mental well-being.
As our population becomes increasingly concentrated in urban areas, our contact with nature continues to decrease. Scientists have suggested that the loss of human-nature interactions is creating a “extinction of experience” leading to generations who no longer understand the deep and lasting benefits that nature provides.
In a place as rich in natural beauty as California, a generational disconnect would be a tragedy. There are so many benefits to spending time communing with green spaces and wilderness. Nature is easily accessible and free.
More than this, the future of conservation depends on our youth discovering the benefits and making their own connection to wild creatures and wild spaces. We need nature and nature needs us.
I doubt I will ever find the metamorphosis of a monarch butterfly anything less than awe-inspiring. Just in case, though, I will be planting two toyon bushes in my front yard this fall. A few winters from now, with any luck, the native toyon will be heavy with deep red berries. Then, perhaps a flock of cedar waxwings will descend to fill their bellies close enough that I’ll be able to see the red waxy tips of their wing feathers. That would be awesome.
How to use the A.W.E. method
A.W.E. is an acronym for attention, wait and exhale and expand.
First, you give something you value, appreciate or find amazing your full attention. It can be a memory, an object, or even a pet, but you must examine it closely and notice everything about it. If it is your dog, notice the feel of her fur beneath your hand, the feel of her heartbeat, the color of her eyes.
Second, you wait, slowing down or pausing while you continue your appreciation to take a deep breath.
Lastly, you exhale and expand, making a slightly deeper exhalation than normal. Allow your feelings to grow and fill you. If you smile, relax, feel a warmth in your belly or an upwelling of emotions, you have experienced awe.
Tips for getting the most out of your time in nature
- Choose a place you feel safe exploring.
- Block out the time for nature in your calendar so you don’t have to rush.
- Be present when you spend time in nature. Turn off your phone and put away your earbuds.
- Take deep breaths. Deep breathing signals your body to relax and slows down your thoughts.
- Focus on the details around you. Invite moments of awe.
