Hiking, birding, and supporting the restoration of Middle Tennessee native species! Here’s our 2024 guide to celebrating Earth Day with Larkspur.
Spring has officially arrived here in Middle Tennessee! The redbuds are bursting with blooms, the dogwood’s petals are stretching their arms out after a long winter, and the natural world surrounding us grows greener by the day. Since it’s April, and Earth Day 2024 will be here before we know it, we wanted to offer a few ways to celebrate one of our favorite days of the year.
Earth Day as we know it began in 1970, and marks the beginning of the modern day environmental movement. It’s a day that many use to observe and honor all things Mother Nature, in support of the protection of environmental resources, lands, and animals. If you’re thinking about how to celebrate Earth Day this year, and want to spend your Earth Day celebration with Larkspur in mind, here’s a list of four fun and rewarding ways to support and connect to the land we love and protect.
1) Get Outside & Go Hiking
The easiest and most obvious way to celebrate Earth Day is to step away from screens, get outside, and spend the day wandering in the woods. Larkspur’s nature preserve at Taylor Hollow boasts five miles of hiking trails through a lush green space which includes a large butterfly meadow and mixed mesophytic (moderately moist) forest. While on these trails you’ll encounter all kinds of native plant species, including a giant oak tree that we affectionately refer to as “Founders Oak” because it has lived through several centuries. If you’re looking to get out and about to celebrate Earth Day in nature this year, we can’t think of a better place to do it than our Taylor Hollow preserve.
2) Practice Birdwatching
If you want to connect with some of the animal life that can be found in Taylor Hollow as you celebrate Earth Day this year, bring your binoculars and practice some birdwatching! Birders of all experience levels enjoy our Taylor Hollow preserve, as it’s a hub for many winged creatures–both native and migratory. If you listen closely, you can hear the birds at Taylor Hollow all year long, but this time of year is the perfect chance to catch a glimpse of our feathered friends in action. Native species such as northern parulas sing from high branches, and you can see yellow-throated vireos nesting in the dogwood tree. You might even spot a rare and threatened species that are at risk for becoming endangered, such as the cerulean warbler.
We’re so glad that Larkspur’s conservation easements protect the land these beautiful birds migrate to and call home. So come join the flock and spend your Earth Day spotting those that soar over our Tennessee skies.
3) Try Forest Bathing
Another way to celebrate Mother Nature and immerse yourself in nature this Earth Day is to spend time forest bathing. What is forest bathing? Well, the term originates from Japan and is an embodiment exercise called shinrin-yoku (“taking in the forest atmosphere” aka “forest bathing”). It’s a way to connect to and deepen your relationship with the natural world. Studies show that spending time in nature is good for your physical, mental, and spiritual health, so an exercise like forest bathing is incredibly beneficial.
Forest bathing at Larkspur can look and feel any way you want! You can find a space in the meadow to stand and breathe deep with your arms stretched to the sky, or sit on a bench on the wooded path to take in the sounds, smells, and sights surrounding you.
It’s a practice that doesn’t ask much—only to be in your own body in the natural world, and to soak in the presence of everything around you. If you’re looking for a low-impact, relaxing way to connect with nature and leave the day more aligned with yourself, forest bathing might be the perfect fit.
4) Support the Cause
Earth Day began as a movement to protect the Earth. Its foundation is built upon saving species from extinction and saving land from harm or development so future generations of all living creatures can grow and thrive. At Larkspur, we celebrate this movement every day by living out our ethos to restore and heal land through a revival of natural burial practices that steward people through death and grief. If you feel passionately about protecting the natural world, helping families through some of their hardest moments, and contributing green space, clean air, and clean water for communities to explore, please consider donating to support our mission.
As a 501c3 nonprofit, our mission depends on donors like you, and every donation goes directly to empowering our ability to fulfill our commitments to the land we love and to the people who chose to be buried there.
If you’d like to learn more about natural burial at Larkspur, or how it safeguards land as a meaningful place to bury the dead, please contact us. We’d love to connect with you!