A stroll through local parks: finding beauty in everyday nature

Despite living in an urban area there are quite a lot of different parks in our neighborhood. As I like to go for walks I always try to go to one of these parks, just to be in a bit of a green environment.
Apart from the positive physical aspect of walking, a walk in nature also is good for your mental wellbeing. Studies show that people who spend time in nature have lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.

During my walks I always keep my eyes open for something interesting I can capture. In this blog I'll share some of todays findings.

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Nearby my house there is this plot of land which I think is from a farmer since there are a handful of cows. You can't see it in the photo, but on the right and behind me are houses. It's a nice open spot in the town where a lot of nature gathers. In the front you see a lot of geese and their goslings. And in the back there is a nest with two storks. I often see the storks hunting for frogs along the edge of the ditch when I pass by here. But today they were on the nest.

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This is a view from the other side. There are some ditches running through the meadows. I often come across this place when I commute to work on my bicycle. In the morning it looks very nice as well when the sun comes up and the fog hangs over the water and meadows.

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A bit further on the route I came across this blossoming bush that had dozens of bees swarming around. Unfortunately I only had my phone with me (I have some macro gear on my Canon M50), but still I think my phone camera did a good job. The bumblebees weren't disturbed at all. They were too busy collecting nectar from the flowers.

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They are such acrobats, hanging upside down, holding on to the flower to get that nectar. These bumblebees look so fuzzy. They are absolutely not aggressive like some other bees and wasps are.
They are quite friendly creatures.

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After having photographed the bees, I continued my walk through a park which is more wooded. There are quite a lot of trees in this park which makes it a bit dark. Except from the path, the floor is covered with plants and even the tree trunks are covered in Ivy, which makes it an oasis of green.

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When I got deeper into the park, it was getting greener and greener. The plants have been growing quite severe with the recent rain showers we had. In some spots like the one above I was walking in a green tunnel. It won't take long until the entire path will be covered.
I do think these parks are maintained by the municipality, so they might trim it back soon, so people can still go for a walk there.

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I also came across this curious tree. As you look at the bottom part of the tree, it looks rather dead. But the upper part of the tree looks quite thriving with all the green leaves. Although I don't know if it will survive whatever is affecting it. But that is part of the circle of life.
Dead trees will be left in the parks to decay and server as a nest for ants, termites, beetles, fungi and bacteria, which help the wood into smaller pieces and over many years cleanup the tree in total.

I hope you liked my small photo walk in the parks!


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FriendlyMoose


I'm an amateur photographer with a love for indoor gardening, craft beer, and cycling. As the owner of the Cycling Community and the creator of the Topcomment initiative, I focus on fostering engagement and bringing like-minded people together.
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Studies show that people who spend time in nature have lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.

I agree with you my friend. walking in the open nature makes our minds calm. Especially the place is as beautiful as the place you visited. There are many things to enjoy.

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lekker bezig , ik kwam vanochtend om 07:00 nog geen hommels tegen in deze regio , ik denk dat ze hier het luie soort hebben 😂😂😂

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Dank je wel! Misschien was het toen nog een beetje te koud voor ze.
Ik moet zeggen dat ik ze in de achtertuin nog niet veel heb gezien dit jaar. Maar mijn insectenlokkers (groot koeienoog) moeten nog gaan bloeien.

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Wonderful post with great photos. You also live in a beautiful area. At the beginning the sentence...

Studies show that people who spend time in nature have lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.> Quote

This had the biggest impact when I read it at the beginning and it is so true!
One of the main reasons why I go out into nature/the forest...to calm down.
And it works.🙃✌️

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Thanks!
Indeed! You don't have to visit a large nature reserve. A small park also works. Some trees, birds, insects and the smell of nature does well!

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I really do love those old growth forests with dense undergrowth. There's not a lot of those in the Australian landscapes, and its definitely not as green as what you've captured here. There's a few bits and pieces that are a tiny bit more varied, but these scenes are what I consider to be pretty, because they're not common.

Meanwhile, all the British Colonists that came to Australia thought the landscape was wonderful, enchanting, and fascinating. I suppose so, when all they had was meadows and enchanting forests. Probably being able to see the horizon was a concept known only to sailors :D

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It is funny how people like the sceneries they don't have themselves.
I would love to see the outbacknin Australia, living in the dense populated Netherlands.
And I also love the mountains. The highest point in the Netherlands is 322 meters above sea level.
But that is where holidays are for!

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A lot of the bands I like are Dutch. I've been to the Netherlands but I've not seen any of them there :D

I have seen them when they have come to Australia though (Within Temptation, Epica).

Australia is mostly flat in most... cities, except for Brisbane, that's got hills everywhere, and still floods.

At least in NL, you're close to lots of varied scenery. The European countryside really is beautiful and varied. In Australia, it is the same everywhere you go.

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I liked Within Temptation back in the days when they were very popular. With Ice Queen. Don't hear a lot about them anymore lately.

The Netherlands isn't that diverse, but Europe is small. Within 1000 kilometers we are in the mountains.

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I very recently got to see Within Temptation for the first time. They came all the way to Australia, for the first time. It was around a 1700km round trip to get to the concert, but it was a good time: https://peakd.com/music/@holoz0r/how-it-feels-to-fulfil-a-life-long-musical-bucket-list-concert

I love metal, and I love female fronted music a LOT. Going to see a gig in a few weeks for an Aussie band I listened to religiously in high school and I'm so keen. Live music is awesome!

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