Anna's Garden Blog

Being in the garden has been such a fun experience for me to start off as a new gardening assistant. Being in the garden has been the best thing I do in my week of classes. It is a break from the regular world and it is a little piece of heaven to go into the greenhouse and be with the plants. Since I could remember I have always been drawn to plants and the idea of having a garden so being a part of this is so amazing. Being able to come to the garden three days a week has been an amazing thing for me to do during my week. The garden is like a safe haven for me to come and relax and also work. Ever since I was a little girl I have always been fascinated with plants and animals. I have always dreamed of having a greenhouse ever since I was eleven, so being able to work and experience nature in such a different way has been a big change for me. I have learned a lot more things that I never knew before about plant care and gardening. I got to see a lot of different ways to take care of so many plants and I have a lot more knowledge, so when I get home for the summer I can finally make my garden beds and enjoy my own garden back home. Being able to have this experience and this job has opened up so many doors for me as a student and as a young adult. I typically work with only myself, but sometimes I work with other people like classes and other faculty members around campus. And being able to set my hours and schedule is going to help me in the future. Becoming more independent has helped me figure out what I will be doing after my college career.

Hello i'm anna flannagan

Hello, my name is Anna Flannagan I am the gardening assistant for the year 2021 till 2022. I am in my sophomore year at UMF and i am twenty years old. I am majoring in Geography with an interest in sustainable food production and conservation efforts. I have always had a green thumb ever since I was twelve. I got my first plant at the end of fifth grade and I still have it to this day. I have always been interested in the idea of sustainable food sources and how they can benefit not only myself but other people and the environment. I enjoy camping, hiking, sunset drives and taking care of plants.

Our Podcast!!

Something fun and new that you would like to know some fun facts about plants and nature or if you just want to hear people talk about what goes on inside the greenhouse at UMF then this podcast is for you. This link below will bring you to a website where it is available and then it can take you to Spotify.

The Link To The Podcast is Below!!!!

https://anchor.fm/anna-flannagan1/episodes/Episode-1-Welcome-e1eokos

Forest Bathing

In one of my classes the first semester of my sophomore year with Jessie Minor we learned about forest bathing which is similar to what I was just talking about. Forest bathing is mediating with nature and the trees. When you do forest bathing you have to be completely silent with your thoughts and let yourself be taken over by the feelings of nature. There are a lot of benefits to forest bathing besides just enjoying the outdoors it can also help with reducing stress levels, helping with re-centering yourself with nature. This practice can also help with physical health and mental problems and improve the overall quality of life for so many types of people. When we got the opportunity to do it in class it was a very eye-opening experience. It was nice to bring a lot of people into the woods and let them experience it for themselves. In my class, we had to study forest bathing for three weeks, so we had the right amount of knowledge to help people out with their forest bathing.

Nature Writing

We can sometimes forget what it means to take a break in life. It can be hard to realize that we are worn out and tired. One of the things that have always helped me to destress is to walk outside or in a forest and just take some time to breathe and focus on the sounds that I hear and the colors I can see. It is a form of meditation, but it involves trees and I love trees! This form of meditation has always helped me realize that it only takes a nice stroll into the woods to take a break from the world. When I was younger, whenever I had a bad day or if I was having an off day I went outside and I still do this. I am a sophomore in college and I still am a person that gets healed from nature. It's just the way the trees shave in the wind, how the birds can be heard all around me and how the colors of the different seasons bring me so much peace when I'm feeling under the weather.

How Nature Helped Me Grow Up

Ever since I was little I have always felt that nature has nurtured me in every way possible. There is just a different atmosphere than the woods have that makes me feel secure and safe. The sound of the trees blowing with the wind and all of the sounds of nature just completely takes me away from the real world for a little while. Whenever I get stressed out or if I feel overwhelmed I go outside. Ever since I was twelve I've been doing this and it has helped me so much in my life. Spending just a little amount of time in nature can lift your mood. We are always staring at a screen almost all the time nowadays and I feel like people could try to understand the many positive benefits of going outside for at least ten or twenty minutes twice a week can have such a good impact on their lives. And I feel like there is potential for all of this to occur but with some time of course.

Being Nurtured By Nature

I have personally taken part in a practice that has been around for a very long time, and this practice is being nurtured by nature. You might think that I'm crazy and a hippie but this does work. I just think that people need to open their minds to the idea of nature helping to improve their lives. It has been shown that this practice improves attention, reduces stress, improves mood, reduces the risk of psychiatric disorders, and even increases empathy and cooperation. You can start the process that helped me so much in my life if you live near a park or any open green space, no matter how small or big. Research has shown that this practice works for people in several ways. There has been a lot of research on green spaces like parks and forests, but researchers also can study blue spaces, such as river and ocean views. Everyone has their way of being in nature, but I enjoy being alone with nature sometimes or going with friends on a small or big hike. It feels good to get out of the stressful and overwhelming spaces. That's why I started exploring this kind of stuff in the first place. I find it so fascinating. There are a large number of people that think this practice works and other people don't think that it is a good practice to participate in. When I got older I realized that nature is a form of therapy that can help me heal from the hardships in my life and it was so eye-opening to me to see the difference that nature has made in my life.

How maine is way DIFFERENT THAN boston where i grew up.

The more time spent outdoors, the better your life will be, and all of those experiences will make a huge difference in your quality of life. No, it doesn't happen overnight. Some people are born with a passion to explore nature, but for others, that's not the case. However, with time, people develop a love of nature. Individuals who don't already love and appreciate the environment can develop a love and appreciation for this gorgeous place we all live in. I also believe that our way of appreciating nature and the environment is influenced by our upbringing. I am originally from Boston, which has some places where you can experience nature, but I have more opportunities to do so now that I live in Maine. There are so many different places all around me that are just so close to where I live now, that I can be happy in the wilderness. If I have had a long day at work, I can go outside and take a walk in the forest or in the field to de-stress. Compared to the feeling of being at home in Boston, the atmosphere here is different. I have made so many new memories and had many different experiences that have influenced the way I appreciate the environment. During the time that I lived in Boston, I had a little bit of exposure to nature. That hasn't been the case in Maine. It's a lot more diverse here than at home, with more trees, mountains, and fields.

nature reading

If you are interested in nature and reading there are a lot of different options of different types of literature to choose from. I have read a lot of different types myself but I can't tell you what to read and what not to read. I'm not a teacher!

Here are some options and some information about the books and authors.

Nature All-Around: Plants. This book written by Pamela Hickman and illustrated by Carolyn Gavin is a child-friendly educational book that exposes kids to the beauty of nature with captivating images of parts of nature. The book mostly focuses on different types of plants but there are three other books in the four-book series. This book is a great way to expose your kids to the amazing things that are outside.

Another one of my favorite books that I have recently finished this month. The book is titled Material Value: More Sustainable, Less Wasteful Manufacturing of Everything from Cell Phones to Cleaning Products. The author Julia L F Goldstein knows how to get her point across with her words. This whole book opened up my mind to new ways I can protect the environment and how I can also protect myself from harmful products.

My Passion

One of my passions is capturing the world with my camera. My favorite thing to take pictures of with my camera in nature and getting to work in the garden was the perfect opportunity for me to bring out my creative side. While taking pictures of plants in the garden I got to do just that. Some of my favorite pictures I have taken pictures of in the garden are the pictures of the many flowers in the garden. And all of the photos you see below.

Pictures I've taken in the UMF Community Garden-2021

Capturing Images In The Garden

My passion as a gardening assistant on campus allowed me to combine my passion for photography with creative freedom. It is fun to finally share my photos with others. As a result of having this job, I have become more confident about taking pictures. The garden provides such a beautiful setting for taking pictures. I always try to capture a wide variety of landscapes. Working in the garden and learning how to take pictures in a smaller area in nature has been a totally different experience from taking pictures of other landscapes. I enjoyed learning all of these new and interesting concepts of taking pictures of the garden so much last semester. I recommend photography to anyone who is interested in trying something new, whether it is professionally or just for a hobby.

Pictures I've taken over the years-2018-2021

My passion for photography started when I was only twelve years old. Ever since I can remember I have always been taking pictures of everything I see. Then when I turned fourteen or so, my family got me a camera for Christmas and I still have that same camera. Taking pictures is an escape for me. It helps me have some creative freedom and it helps me see the world in a new way. Taking a picture is seeing a memory, but it is frozen in time.

It took me some time to feel comfortable enough to share my photos with people. I kept my photos for myself for a long period of time, but now that I am older it is easier for me to share my creative side with people. It is nice to share all of my hard work. I don't consider myself a professional photographer, but it is a fun hobby for me.

All of the pictures I have taken over the years have been from a lot of different places. I enjoy taking pictures whenever I go to a new place and having those places frozen in time. Some of the places I have visited where I took those pictures are Michigan, Canada, North Carolina, Florida, and Halifax Canada. Even after all these years have passed, those pictures are a representation of how I viewed the places that I have been to throughout my life. It is nice to look back on those pictures to relive those experiences. When I look back on all of these photos I can see where I was, what I was thinking, and what I was feeling just by looking at the pictures I have taken.