Welcome to April of 2024, the first full month of Spring, and to the HerbWalks & OjaiHerbal newsletter. Last month I added this column to the newsletter, a place where I can speak heart to heart with you (and hear back from you, too). I hope to use this column to build an herbal community of kindred spirits coming together around a shared love of Nature and a mutual enjoyment of sharing Nature with others in a myriad of ways, including sharing our thoughts. I’m not sure how this column will evolve but I’m curious to find out.

One reader accepted my offer to respond to this column by sending such a long, glowing review of Herb Walks and my book that, frankly, I’m embarrassed to share it here, even though I admitted last month to being a shameless self-promoter. (You know who you are, dear writer. Thank you for the kind words. You inspire me to keep doing what I’m doing.) See the offer again at the bottom of this column. If you find this space intriguing, please send questions or topics you would enjoy reading about.

Now that I’m 77,  I seem to be entering an "age of acceptance." I don't just mean an acceptance of my advanced years and my looming mortality. That awareness is certainly part of it but I'm experiencing a larger acceptance of the world (humanity) and of the planet (Gaia), just the way they are.  Again, by acceptance I don’t mean hanging my head and resigning myself to living in an imperfect world of imperfect humans like me on a constantly changing planet that can morph from rainbows to volcanic eruptions at any time. I know I will never stop trying to make myself a better human and do what I can to improve the part of the planet around me that I have some influence over. At the same time, I think I'm finally able to let some things be — without feeling I have to mobilize my energy to fix them.

This new state of mind came about because of the greening of Ojai after all the abundant rain we’ve had this winter. I found myself marveling at the sun backlighting the neon green in the grassy fields and hillsides. While I always appreciate the lush, green growth of early spring, especially among the native plants, my go-to thought when I see the grasses, the mustards, and the thistles is “non-native weeds,” or “invasive species.” On herb walks, I talk about the history of  “type conversion” of our natural plant communities from natives to weeds. And I support efforts like those of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy to marshal volunteers on their preserves to remove the bad invasives and leave more room for the good natives.

This spring, though, I’m able to appreciate the weeds, too. They don’t know they’re weeds. They're just innocent players in Mother Nature’s plan to cover the Earth with green wherever it's bare. It's a beautiful thing! And it turns out that the greening has a positive psychological effect on us humans. Not that we needed scientists to tell us green landscapes make us feel good, but a 2016 study found that living in or near green areas was linked with longer life expectancy and improved mental health in female participants. The study found that “green, natural environments may ameliorate adverse environmental exposures (e.g., air pollution, noise, and extreme heat), increase physical activity and social engagement, and lower stress.”

Ironically, I just missed National Weed Appreciation Day on March 28, so it’s too late to officially celebrate it this year but, as fate would have it, I received my monthly newsletter from the Channel Islands Chapter of the California Native Plant Society announcing their Wildflower and Weed Show on Saturday, April 20, in Santa Paula. I'll be leading a hike in Santa Barbara that day so I'll have to miss it this year but I plan to celebrate weeds — and keep eating them — wherever I am. Will you join me?