Excerpted from GOOD NATURE:
Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, and Touching Plants is Good for Our Health by Kathy Willis
“Recently I found myself walking around the Botanic Garden in Oxford. This beautiful and historic location, right in the heart of the city, attracts over 200,000 visitors a year to its tranquil walkways and restful vistas.But it wasn’t just the elegant variety of plants, or even the impressive range of the scientific research being undertaken here, that caught my attention. It was a small child reaching out to touch the leaf of a rose, and her grandmother, instead of telling her not to touch, stroking the silky petal against her cheek.The child was intrigued and delighted.”
“We are often told, ‘Don’t Touch’ and ‘Keep Off The Grass’. Maybe it’s time to ditch those outdated attitudes. Maybe experiencing nature through the medium of tactile interaction with leaves, bark and petals is good for us. Maybe Grandma was right.”
More at link: https://www.popsci.com/environment/good-nature-book-excerpt/