I participated in Phoebe's nature observation session. Teacher Phoebe is super patient and very knowledgeable, and she can even explain things in both Chinese and English—she's a total treasure. Her own natural history notes are detailed and beautiful; she is truly someone who loves life and has a free soul. I hope everyone can join her to observe the beautiful natural world of Dali.
Following Phoebe and Xiangyang from the foot of the mountain, we were immediately 'awed' by a stick insect, a stink bug, and a spotted-thighed grasshopper in turns. Fortunately, winter isn't peak season for insects. For the rest of the way, besides the Trichonephila clavata and the oothecae of the Chinese mantis, no more scary bugs appeared.
Along the way, I tasted mustard-flavored nasturtium; smelled the resin of the Yunnan poplar; crunched on an unripe buckwheat; took apart 'Lego-like' scouring rush and clipped it to my eyebrows; saw a bubbling spring; rubbed the leaves of blue gum, Szechuan pepper, mugwort, and lemongrass in my hands; carefully learned the differences between stinging nettle and ramie; saw the rampant Crofton weed and the galls from its natural enemy, the Eupatorium gall fly... taking notes frantically all the way.
But the happiest part was encountering a quiet stick insect 'model' that stayed perfectly still on my arm for 5 minutes until I finished drawing it. As someone who is terrified of bugs, it's hard to imagine that one day I would genuinely find an insect cute (perhaps personality determines fate; 'I' people and 'I' bugs have some resonance).
Walking in the mountains on a sunny day, listening to Phoebe and Xiangyang patiently introduce the plants we passed, watching an elderly couple in our group take photos with great enthusiasm, and picking up colored pencils after a long time to draw what I saw and heard—five hours passed slowly and immersively, leaving a quiet and beautiful trace in my heart.
When I return to the city, I must also maintain my curious eyes~
The children learned a lot about plants while doing nature observation notes with Phoebe on the mountain. There were no insects in winter, but there were birds and squirrels. Phoebe was very patient, taking us to the highest point for the view, and the afternoon tea at the summit was delicious. A wonderful experience!
Stunning route, hard to quit, I really want a refill
Half of the route is primeval forest. From the moment I entered the forest, my whole being was in a "soft heart" state. The tree beards swayed in the wind, constantly flickering the light; it was fuzzy green before my eyes, soft under my feet, and tender in my heart.
Yangmi picked a tree for a picnic; the light in that area was leisurely and scattered, and so were we.
Half of the route is pine forest and pasture; I'm tired of saying how vast it is. The pine forests here are on the slopes, towering into the clouds. Looking forward and back, I was howling at the beauty of it all. Sliding down the slopes on pine needles was a lot of fun.
The soil here is pinkish, quite romantic.
Thanks to Yangmi and Yanzi for bringing Xiaoxi and Liangdian to the mountains with me, see you next time~
Today I experienced a van trip with Xiao Jing, which was the happiest and most meaningful part of my entire journey. Walking on the small winter paths, I could hear the rustling sound of stepping on leaves; in the evening, I could see the sunset glow spilling onto the flowing stream, and looking up, I could see the lines carved by time on the tree trunks. Spending time with Xiao Jing was very relaxed and pleasant, and Xiao Jing was very thoughtful with the preparations. Looking forward to our next meeting.
A perfect, cozy day to clear my mind:
From a noisy place to the mountains of nature.
At noon, she took me to the village to eat freshly made Rushan and drink milk, then we went to a very local market in the village, tasted very sweet milk strawberries, and bought my favorite blueberries... a new experience...
In the afternoon, we walked in the fields, picked plants, took photos, then had afternoon tea and even made a botanical print bag. There was almost no one in the fields, and the super warm sun shone all afternoon. The experience was top-notch.
Thanks to the leader Yanzi, who was our driver, guide, and narrator. She knows all kinds of plants and told many stories about the people of Dali. The journey was not boring at all. A very leisurely and wonderful itinerary.
I chose Phoebe's Cangshan Mini Nature Observation activity this time, and it was totally worth it!
At first, Phoebe took out several jars of small insects for me to identify and explained them to me. Since winter has arrived, insects are not as common as in summer.
But fortunately, sharp-eyed Phoebe found two stick insects hidden in the bushes. It was truly amazing; they really looked just like tree branches, making it hard to tell them apart.
We identified plants along the path all the way up. Phoebe could tell me the name, story, and even medicinal use of any plant I pointed to. Phoebe is not only knowledgeable about plants but also has quite a bit of research on birds and squirrels. Since it was just the two of us and we were quiet, the birds and squirrels were undisturbed and very active. We spent a long time observing forest birds and got to know many new species! We were even lucky enough to encounter the mating chase of Perny's long-nosed squirrels, which is supposed to happen in spring. It seems spring might arrive sooner than we expected.
Besides that, Phoebe also took me to an excellent spot for a picnic and shared a very special Fengyu mooncake with me—it was delicious! We watched the sunset over Cangshan, the moonrise over Erhai, and the Belt of Venus (Earth's shadow) together. Nature itself is indeed the definition of romance.
It was a very interesting experience. Under Phoebe's guidance and leadership, I opened up a new perspective on the microscopic world. It turns out every plant and tree is so detailed and interesting. The breadth of my life has expanded again~
“26.1.5 Phoebe's Nature Notes
Thanks to Phoebe, an experience that made me fall in love with Dali, Cang Mountain, and nature.
Teacher Phoebe is incredibly knowledgeable, gentle, meticulous, and patient. She knows every plant and tree like the back of her hand, and the journey was full of surprises and joy! Phoebe’s preparation was thorough and serious. Since there weren’t many insects in the grass during winter, she even brought some of the insects she raised to show and explain to me. For the first time in my life, I overcame my fear of insects and had a close interaction with a stick insect — it was such a magical and heartwarming experience! Phoebe also showed me many of her nature notes, along with ideas about note-taking, diary writing, practicing writing, and drawing. It was a very pleasant exchange~
The itinerary was also very well planned. Although the route was easy, it was rich in content! Not only were there explanations about nature along the way, but at higher altitudes, there were tea snacks and an excellent viewing area. On the way down the mountain, we passed by a mountain shrine and saw artistic graffiti on the walls, which was also a fascinating sight.
It’s a pity that I have to leave Dali so early this time, but I will definitely come back to join other activities next time. Looking forward to it!
