Naturalist Essay

I chose to walk from DePaul’s campus to the North and Clyborn stop. As I walked down the tree-lined streets I began to pay closer attention to my natural surroundings. I encountered lots a vegetation growing between the concrete sidewalks. Most of this appeared to be grass or some sort of weeds. When I usually walk these same streets on a daily basis, I do not notice the trees or the flowers that line the streets. On my walk I started to pay particular attention to small flowerbeds in front of apartment buildings and houses. I noticed that many of the flowers that appear on the city streets in residential areas seem to be planted and maintained by the residents. On streets that are more commercial, I noticed that some of the vegetation appears to be more uniform. As I walked past newer and well-kept houses, I saw that much of their landscape appeared professional and somewhat fake. There were some extremely contemporary houses that appeared to be recently built that had rocks in the front yard instead of grass. Some houses even boasted concrete structures in the there front courtyards as opposed to greenery. I also noticed that the less well-kept houses had much more natural and less manicured vegetation. These houses often had grass that was overgrown and spots in the yard that were barren of any vegetation. Many of the streets that I walked down had multiple small trees on each block. I noticed that a small patch of dirt often surrounded the bases of these trees with bricks. The bricks seemed to be popping up from the ground due to the roots of the trees.
On a daily basis when I am going to class, I do not usually pay close attention to nature. When I go on walks during the weekend, I feel that I interact with nature more. Before moving to Chicago I felt that I never really interacted with nature. Even though I lived in a less urban environment, I drove my car more than I walked. Walking was not a part of my daily life. Now, I walk or take public transportation everywhere I go so I am forced to interact with nature more actively. Although I live in an extremely urban environment I am outside everyday no matter the weather. Nature really determines how I go about my daily life. It is raining I might not choose to walk to the grocery store. My feelings change when I am outside. I usually feel more awake if I walk to class on a sunny morning instead of driving in my car.
My walk was similar to the interaction described in Kuo’s writing. Kuo’s writings were very statistical and straightforward. I found it easier to explain key details of my urban walk based around particular natural elements that I noticed. I think I took Kuo’s approach because I was in an urban environment and it was easier to point out the small details of nature instead of the overall beauty. John Muir’s writings were much more poetic explaining the deep feeling that comes from being surrounded by complete nature. Muir explained nature by living, breathing, and exploring nature for an extended period of time. The Kuo perspective was much more modern and tailored to an urban environment. Muir’s writings were based on opinions and observations, which made me, want to explore nature more in-depth. However there was nothing exceptionally scientific about Muir’s observations. Kuo’s writings were based on a study and facts. Each of the two writings shows how human interaction with nature can be beneficial.