Witnessing plants and animals as a form of prayer this Lent

By Theresa Crimmins

Prayer, almsgiving, fasting…we Catholics are keenly aware of these pillars of Lent. This year, I’m finding that my capacity to take on major Lenten commitments is quite a bit less than in previous years… let’s face it, the past year has been rather challenging. This year, my aim is to weave prayer and gratitude into my daily activities just a little bit more.

One of my favorite forms of prayer, and one that I’m trying to make more time for during Lent, is to spend undistracted time outside. By undistracted, I mean without headphones plugged into my ears and without email, texts, and social media notifications constantly interrupting my focus. I simply step outside into my yard (without my phone) and slowly walk from plant to plant, taking note of the emergence of tiny new leaves, the bees collecting nectar and pollen, and birds going about their business.

Invariably when I take one of these “yard tours,” I notice something I haven’t seen before – it might be just-forming flower buds on one of the Mammallaria cacti, a translucent green Lynx spider quietly hovering among the leaves in the desert willow tree, or tiny yellow aphids clustered along the milkweed vine. Today I saw the first buds of the year on our rose bushes. These tiny discoveries feed my soul; I can’t help but feel joy and gratitude for the fortune of sharing in these private events in the lives of these creatures. Frequently I find myself speaking, “thank you” aloud.

Because of the soul-restoring benefits of yard touring, I’m a joyful advocate of everyone making space for this activity. It’s as easy as stepping outside and taking a quiet look at whatever plant and animal friends are spending time in your yard.

If you are so inclined to document what you see, your records are invaluable to science and care for God’s creation. I help lead Nature’s Notebook, a national program designed to track when plants and animals undergo seasonal changes such as leaf budburst, flowering, egg hatch, fruit ripening, migration, and more. Changes in the timing of seasonal events such as leaf-out and flowering are one of the clearest indicators of how species and ecosystems are responding to changing climate conditions, and the observations contributed through Nature’s Notebook are increasingly valuable for revealing these changes. For example, reports of when milkweeds are in flower contributed by Nature’s Notebook participants have revealed that this plant, which is an important food resource for monarch butterflies and other pollinators, is flowering substantially earlier than it did in previous decades [1]. Likewise, observations contributed to Nature’s Notebook revealed that trees preparing to leaf out in the spring care more about daytime temperatures than nighttime temperatures [2]. This insight improves scientists’ ability to predict when different tree species may leaf out in increasingly warm springs. Finally, Nature’s Notebook observations enhance natural resource management activities. For example, researchers discovered that whether chamise, a common shrub in fire-prone California chapparal, is in flower or not is a clear indicator of the level of moisture of the plant, and therefore, how likely it is to burn. Managers can quickly assess the risk of wildfire, should a source of ignition such as a lightning strike occur, simply based on whether the plant has begun to flower [3].

Nature’s Notebook is great for adults, families, and groups of friends to contribute to together. I’m hopeful that once the threat of COVID-19 diminishes and we return to more in-person activities, I can help my son’s youth group at St. Pius X start monitoring some plants together on the church campus, as I think they will really get enthusiastic about witnessing the changes that quietly occur as the year progresses. To learn more or sign up, visit www.naturesnotebook.org.

If contributing observations in a formal program like Nature’s Notebook feels like too big of a commitment, just try a yard tour. I feel confident that you will be surprised and delighted by what you see! Though we might be past Lent this year, it’s not too late to slip this gentle and restorative form of prayer into your routine.



[1] Howard, A.F. 2018. Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) flowering date shift in response to climate change. Scientific Reports 8:1-6.

[2] Piao, S., Tan, J., Chen, A., Fu, Y., Ciais, P., Liu, Q., Janssens, I., Vicca, S., Zeng, Z., Jeong, S., Li, Y., Myneni, R., Peng, S., Shen, M., and Peñuelas, J. 2015. Leaf onset in the northern hemisphere triggered by daytime temperature.  Nature Communications 6:1-8.

[3] Nathan, E., K. Roth, and A. L. Pivovaroff. 2020. Flowering phenology indicates plant flammability in a dominant shrub species. Ecological Indicators 109: 105745.