One way to celebrate Earth Day 2024 is to learn more about nature, such as birds and plants.
April is Earth Month, and April 22 is Earth Day 2024. We hope you will take time this month to connect with nature, expand your knowledge, join with others and take action to help the planet.
Connect with nature
Spring blossoms are emerging on trees and in yards around the area. Now is a good time to stroll through your neighborhood and take a look at the flowering trees. Magnolia, dogwood, plum and cherry trees are all in bloom, along with tulips and other spring flowers. Here is a list from the University of Washington of spring blooms and other blooms to look for throughout the year.
Visit national, state or local parks
National parks are free on April 20, the first day of National Park Week. Maybe it’s time to visit Mount Rainier or Olympic National Park.
Washington state parks are free on Earth Day, April 22, with no Discover Pass required. You can search for state parks on the Parks website. Perhaps you will discover a new favorite. Also, you could earn a complimentary Discover Pass for free entry into Washington state parks all year by volunteering on public lands.
Closer to home, you could celebrate Earth Day 2024 by taking your kids or a friend to your neighborhood park. You may want to look for emerging leaves and blossoms on trees and other plants, listen to the birds, eat a picnic lunch, lounge on the grass and take a few deep breaths.
Visit a garden or arboretum
Another idea is to visit a Puget Sound public garden. There are a number of beautiful gardens in the area, including Bellevue Botanical Garden, Chihuly Garden and Glass, Kubota Garden, Lake Wilderness Arboretum, Point Defiance, Bloedel Reserve, Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, Seattle Chinese Garden and more. Many of them offer free guided or self-guided tours and other activities.
For example, the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle offers free walking tours on the first Thursday of every month. You can also download youth and family self-guided adventures. In addition, the Arboretum offers self-guided materials for forest bathing, a nature immersion activity that increases health and well-being. “There is no medicine you can take that has such a direct influence on your health as a walk in a beautiful forest.” —Dr. Qing Li.
Expand your knowledge
One way to connect with nature is to expand your knowledge. These days, you can find easy-to-use apps for your mobile phone to help you learn more about nature. Many of them are free.
Learn about birds
Have you tried Merlin? “Merlin is designed to be a birding coach for bird watchers at every level,” said the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology. If you hear a bird singing and you are curious about what it is, you can record it on your phone and the app will identify it. You can also search by your location and the bird’s size and primary colors, or choose “Explore Birds” to see what birds are common in your area.
All About Birds, also from Cornell, lets you look up any bird in North America and see photos, hear songs, learn about its habits and more.
Audubon Bird Guide is similar to Merlin, with more details about each bird. You can use the “similar” tab to help narrow down what you might be seeing: is it this little black-and-white bird or that one? The app, developed by the National Audubon Society, includes over 800 species of North American birds.
Audubon lists several more apps for birding and field identification.
Learn about plants
Several plant identification apps are available to help you name the trees, flowers and plants you see on your neighborhood walks or wilderness hikes. Here are a few options. All are available for both iPhones and Android phones.
Pl@ntNet. Pl@ntNet is quick, accurate and easy to use. “Pl@ntNet is a citizen science project available as an app that helps you identify plants thanks to your pictures,” said the developers. You take a photo and send it to the app. It compares the image to thousands of other images that users have added to the database. Then the app suggests possible species that might match your photo. This free app was the favorite of both Wirecutter and CNN.
iNaturalist. Along with identifying plants, you can use this app to share and confirm your findings with others. It’s not as simple to use as Pl@ntNet. Wirecutter also recommended this free app. iNaturalist also has a second, simpler app called Seek. It provides quick answers and is easy and fun for kids to use.
PictureThis was the most accurate app, according to Michigan State University. The app was helpful 80% of the time across all plant categories. In addition to plant identification, it also offers information on treating and preventing plant diseases and other tips on cultivation. You can try it for free, then there is a monthly or annual subscription cost.
There are several other options for plant identification. Here is a list from CNN.
Join with others
Celebrate Earth Day with other people in your community. If we get to know others who care about the planet, and share stories and experiences, we will have more impact. We can’t protect the earth alone.
Many local cities have Earth Day 2024 activities such as festivals and volunteer opportunities. Search on the web for your own city to see what they have planned. Here are a few resources to get you started.
ParentMap published a list of Earth Day events for Seattle-area families, with activities ranging from Tacoma to Auburn, Issaquah to Mukilteo, Seattle to Mercer Island and more.
The Seattle Times published a list of nine Seattle-area events to celebrate Earth Day and the arrival of spring. Among the listings:
- The City of Bellevue and the Bellevue Botanical Garden are hosting an EarthFest event on April 20.
- The City of Mercer Island is hosting the Leap for Green Earth Day Fair on April 20.
- The Washington Park Arboretum is celebrating its 90th birthday with a special Earth Day event on April 20.
- The Washington Native Plant Society Central Puget Sound chapter has its spring native plant sale on April 14.
- Be’er Sheva Park in Rainier Beach has a grand reopening on April 13.
Seattle Parks and Recreation created a list of Earth Day 2024 volunteer events and educational activities.
Take action
Change one everyday action
This year, think of one or two simple things you could change in your everyday actions to help the earth. If you start small, you are more likely to be successful.
EarthDay.org suggests: “Try a simple act of green:”
- Add reusable eating utensils to your everyday carry
- Always carry a reusable bag
- Make your next meal plant-based
- Speak up for the earth
EarthDay.org has a list of many other actions to help the earth, from planting and cleanup to civic, community and individual action.
King County lists several ways to help the planet this Earth Day. From natural gardening to volunteering, from green cleaning to reducing waste, get ideas about small daily actions you can take.
Make your yard more sustainable
Think about what you can do in your own yard. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society suggests five ways to make your garden more eco-friendly:
- Make your garden a habitat
- Reduce your lawn
- Create a compost pile on your property
- Go electric
- Collect your water
In Harmony can help make your yard and garden more sustainable. Our motto is “Building a healthier planet one landscape at a time.” Learn more about our sustainable landscape design and installation and our natural lawn, tree and shrub care services.
Earth Day quotations
Last but not least, here are some Earth Day quotes to inspire you.
- “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”— Robert Swan
- “If every day were Earth Day we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in.”— Neil deGrasse Tyson
- “We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it.”— Barack Obama
- “Look after the land and the land will look after you, destroy the land and it will destroy you.” —Aboriginal Proverb
- “All we have to do is to wake up and change.” —Greta Thunberg
