The title basically. When you picture a forest, or the woods, what does it look like?
Forestry and conifers are one of my special interests (heck, I got a ponderosa pine tattoo) but when talking with one of my co workers I realized how varied forests are.
I grew up in the PNW, so when I think of the woods I imagine mostly conifers, specifically ponderosas and white pines. I also imagine an undergrowth of thimbleberry bushes and oregon grapes, with sword ferns lining the creeks. I also typically imagine it during the summer, with a lake nearby.
My co worker grew up in new england. He imagined a forest of leafy trees in the fall with a lot of vibrant colors. He also imagined mushrooms and moss on the forest floor.
Dunno, what comes to your minds eye when you imagine a forest? And where did you grow up to shape that image?
EDIT: I found a pretty close picture of what I imagine, it's a bit drier though
[img]https://visitidaho.org/content/uploads/2016/05/WEB_NRL_9945_Edit_1-250x250.jpg[/img]
The title basically. When you picture a forest, or the woods, what does it look like?
Forestry and conifers are one of my special interests (heck, I got a ponderosa pine tattoo) but when talking with one of my co workers I realized how varied forests are.
I grew up in the PNW, so when I think of the woods I imagine mostly conifers, specifically ponderosas and white pines. I also imagine an undergrowth of thimbleberry bushes and oregon grapes, with sword ferns lining the creeks. I also typically imagine it during the summer, with a lake nearby.
My co worker grew up in new england. He imagined a forest of leafy trees in the fall with a lot of vibrant colors. He also imagined mushrooms and moss on the forest floor.
Dunno, what comes to your minds eye when you imagine a forest? And where did you grow up to shape that image?
EDIT: I found a pretty close picture of what I imagine, it's a bit drier though
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Mikah or SentientPumpkins
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I work full time and I'm a full time student, responses may be slow
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@SentientPumpkins It depends! Mostly it depends on whether I'm thinking of it in terms of positive or negative.
Negatively I think of the trees I grew up around: scrub pines. No pretty colors, no shade, useless for climbing, lots of sap and prickly debris. I just honestly found them to be ugly, scraggly things as a kid?
Mostly it all looked like this:
[img]https://climateadaptationexplorer.org/static/499aa2701f467e080b3720924f881ff7/6d13b/1200.jpg[/img]
Positively, I think of the kinds of forests and trees I saw in picture books and movies as a kid. Oaks, maples, etc. Fall with vibrant colors (which tiny me envied terribly).
[img]https://c4.wallpaperflare.com/wallpaper/30/214/390/fall-landscape-trees-hills-wallpaper-preview.jpg[/img]
@
SentientPumpkins It depends! Mostly it depends on whether I'm thinking of it in terms of positive or negative.
Negatively I think of the trees I grew up around: scrub pines. No pretty colors, no shade, useless for climbing, lots of sap and prickly debris. I just honestly found them to be ugly, scraggly things as a kid?
Mostly it all looked like this:
Positively, I think of the kinds of forests and trees I saw in picture books and movies as a kid. Oaks, maples, etc. Fall with vibrant colors (which tiny me envied terribly).
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Sorry I don't know much about [i]specific[/i] plants (despite being in the Nature flight and also really loving plants and forests...)
But I actually have a few ways of how I picture a forest or woods. I'll put some images to help describe. I live in the Pacific Northwest so that probably actually also skews my view a lot.
My forests always involve waterfalls and rivers. Lots of rocks and moss too. Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe it's a little closer to a jungle although I'm not really sure about the specific differences of those two. Sometimes there are also little paths like this.
EDIT: To add a little more, when I was a kid I explored a little "forest" near my house. It had a lot of little rivers and mossy rocks and that experience has stuck with me ever since. [emoji=imperial happy size=1]
[img]https://news.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/081022_Harvard_Forest_54-1200x800.jpg[/img]
I also often picture forests as somewhat dark and misty or foggy.
[img]https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2797/2019/11/forks-wa-forest.jpg[/img]
[img]https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/cropped_image/primary/D8B23F56-F876-B8EE-FC0AF067F84CC4AA.jpg[/img]
This second one is more "fantastical". It is actually from a dream and is less of a "natural" forest. It has rivers with beautiful bridges and purple wisteria-like trees hanging over them. It's a bit hard to describe but it's very beautiful.
Here's an image that helps imagine the aesthetic of it.
[img]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/w5ury16hGdc/maxresdefault.jpg[/img]
And a bit of this but less extreme and "natural" rather than curated. [emoji=imperial happy size=1]
[img]https://www.awesomeinventions.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/wisteria-tunnel-by-freespiritedtribe.jpg[/img]
Sorry about all the images, but I feel like I needed them to help get my ideas across! I think it goes without saying these images obviously aren't mine [emoji=imperial laughing size=1]
Sorry I don't know much about
specific plants (despite being in the Nature flight and also really loving plants and forests...)
But I actually have a few ways of how I picture a forest or woods. I'll put some images to help describe. I live in the Pacific Northwest so that probably actually also skews my view a lot.
My forests always involve waterfalls and rivers. Lots of rocks and moss too. Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe it's a little closer to a jungle although I'm not really sure about the specific differences of those two. Sometimes there are also little paths like this.
EDIT: To add a little more, when I was a kid I explored a little "forest" near my house. It had a lot of little rivers and mossy rocks and that experience has stuck with me ever since.
I also often picture forests as somewhat dark and misty or foggy.
This second one is more "fantastical". It is actually from a dream and is less of a "natural" forest. It has rivers with beautiful bridges and purple wisteria-like trees hanging over them. It's a bit hard to describe but it's very beautiful.
Here's an image that helps imagine the aesthetic of it.
And a bit of this but less extreme and "natural" rather than curated.
Sorry about all the images, but I feel like I needed them to help get my ideas across! I think it goes without saying these images obviously aren't mine
I'll make a nice signature eventually :(
The typical kind of forest commonly found in my home country of Germany. Temperate mixed forests, often around mountains and hills.
[img]https://www.deutschland.de/sites/default/files/styles/crop_story_content/public/media/image/germany-forest-nationalpark-harz.jpg[/img]
[img]https://www.deutschland.de/sites/default/files/styles/crop_page/public/media/image/germany_nature_forest.jpg[/img]
However, one important part that immediately comes to my mind when imagining a forest is the sound. Although you will rarely see them, you'll be contantly followed by the sounds of songbirds. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fGbPZ6BIwk]Here's a good little video I just found[/url] showcasing some native birds and their sounds. Most of it is very familiar to me.
The typical kind of forest commonly found in my home country of Germany. Temperate mixed forests, often around mountains and hills.
However, one important part that immediately comes to my mind when imagining a forest is the sound. Although you will rarely see them, you'll be contantly followed by the sounds of songbirds.
Here's a good little video I just found showcasing some native birds and their sounds. Most of it is very familiar to me.
ive spent so much time running around in games with huge forests so my first thought is usually a more fantasy type of forest. teldrassil/ashenvale in wow, (or pretty much any forest in wow lol) HUUUGE trees, big expanse of land to endlessly walk. or even the old woodland path coli art, especially the night time version, really reminds me of irl forests
i think why these fantasy forests really nail it for me is the whole.. emptiness in a way. a view low to the ground, looking up at the sky obscured by leaves, dark and shady, and the vast endless expanse of trees or open space to look out on. but most of all, no other visible life for miles. no other people, very rarely animals. its... comfortable. and feels so much like the real life forests around here, no matter how fantastical and magical video game forests are, they still feel familiar in a way
i dont know much about certain tree species and stuff, but uhh i think we have generally pines here lol? driving down so many roads and theres nonstop trees. there is a decent amount of moss in the forest near my house but the ground is mostly covered in leaves. theres one big path that goes through the forest here because it use to be part of the road. other than that though, i dont usually think of forests having any bodies of water, not a lot of trails, just. huge plots of undisturbed land that stretch on for miles. its usually pretty flat too, not very hill-y and not really any rocks
ok i guess new jersey has kinda boring forests lol
ill put some pictures on imgur
here because its kind of a lot
ive spent so much time running around in games with huge forests so my first thought is usually a more fantasy type of forest. teldrassil/ashenvale in wow, (or pretty much any forest in wow lol) HUUUGE trees, big expanse of land to endlessly walk. or even the old woodland path coli art, especially the night time version, really reminds me of irl forests
i think why these fantasy forests really nail it for me is the whole.. emptiness in a way. a view low to the ground, looking up at the sky obscured by leaves, dark and shady, and the vast endless expanse of trees or open space to look out on. but most of all, no other visible life for miles. no other people, very rarely animals. its... comfortable. and feels so much like the real life forests around here, no matter how fantastical and magical video game forests are, they still feel familiar in a way
i dont know much about certain tree species and stuff, but uhh i think we have generally pines here lol? driving down so many roads and theres nonstop trees. there is a decent amount of moss in the forest near my house but the ground is mostly covered in leaves. theres one big path that goes through the forest here because it use to be part of the road. other than that though, i dont usually think of forests having any bodies of water, not a lot of trails, just. huge plots of undisturbed land that stretch on for miles. its usually pretty flat too, not very hill-y and not really any rocks
ok i guess new jersey has kinda boring forests lol
ill put some pictures on imgur
here because its kind of a lot
I'd think of the forest where I grew up. It's an archipelago by the coast. It's got some nice old-growth and is a mix between oak, poplar, hazel, and needle trees like spruce and pine. It smells like brackish sea, and the terrain is softly mountainous (I don't know the English words for them, but think big ol' cliffs polished soft and round-ish by the ice age, smaller than a mountain but still sizeable, and with shaded, humid valleys in between where there's usually a creek or two running along). It's an old cultured landscape so you can still see the mark of human care on that land. The occasional glen and meadow, old signs of coppicing, random fruit trees here and there, forestry done by selecting individual trees rather than clear-cutting, that sort of thing.
I'd think of the forest where I grew up. It's an archipelago by the coast. It's got some nice old-growth and is a mix between oak, poplar, hazel, and needle trees like spruce and pine. It smells like brackish sea, and the terrain is softly mountainous (I don't know the English words for them, but think big ol' cliffs polished soft and round-ish by the ice age, smaller than a mountain but still sizeable, and with shaded, humid valleys in between where there's usually a creek or two running along). It's an old cultured landscape so you can still see the mark of human care on that land. The occasional glen and meadow, old signs of coppicing, random fruit trees here and there, forestry done by selecting individual trees rather than clear-cutting, that sort of thing.
I live in the subtropics so I tend to imagine the subtopical rainforests I enjoy going to, full of birds, cool up in the mountains, lots of running water, mossy, wet, ancient trees. I believe a lot of the forests around us are also on the rim of what used to be a volcano so the soil is amazing. Lots of waterfalls too which are incredible to visit after a lot of rain! I feel blessed to live near them and to have had adults around me who took me to see them and make them part of my childhood, some of the flora and fauna tie back to the rainforests of Gondwana!
I live in the subtropics so I tend to imagine the subtopical rainforests I enjoy going to, full of birds, cool up in the mountains, lots of running water, mossy, wet, ancient trees. I believe a lot of the forests around us are also on the rim of what used to be a volcano so the soil is amazing. Lots of waterfalls too which are incredible to visit after a lot of rain! I feel blessed to live near them and to have had adults around me who took me to see them and make them part of my childhood, some of the flora and fauna tie back to the rainforests of Gondwana!
This is pretty much exactly what I imagine. Lots of thin tall trees all competing for sunlight, with the floor covered in vegetation. I can imagine the dew getting my socks wet right now
[img]https://www.stavislost.com/images/photos/2017/599338dc8c5bf.jpg[/img]
This is pretty much exactly what I imagine. Lots of thin tall trees all competing for sunlight, with the floor covered in vegetation. I can imagine the dew getting my socks wet right now
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I picture two things;
[img]https://gray-kfyr-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/-Qwqz1_KqXFT_MU-BWmFbPrip28=/1200x675/smart/filters:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/IU6MLPLMXZD6PB77NEHTDIQKB4.jpg[/img]
or
[img]https://freerangestock.com/sample/29342/small-bridge-in-forest.jpg[/img]
I picture two things;
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/IU6MLPLMXZD6PB77NEHTDIQKB4.jpg "IU6MLPLMXZD6PB77NEHTDIQKB4.jpg")
or
i've spent pretty much my whole life living in "the middle of nowhere" forests, both technically due to latvia being mostly forests, and literally because of growing up in a small forest-enclosed town and later dorming at sanatoriums while studying! can't say i'm a fan of living in the city afterwards, haha
descriptions ain't my forte so i'll whip out some photos from my hometown where i've spent over 25 years just out in the wild
everyone usually speaks of the golden autumn when it comes to our forests but they're quite gorgeous in all seasons i think
[img]https://tourism.sigulda.lv/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/1585217756809.jpg[/img]
[img]https://www.pv.lv/images/news/11633_700x400_sigulda.jpg[/img]
[img]https://lastatic.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/2019/10/Rudens_40.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i0.wp.com/cookthebeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sigulda-travel-Guide-scaled.jpg[/img]
[img]https://www.alluretours.lv/images/com_hikashop/upload/sigulda-day-trip-gold-autumn.jpg[/img]
[img]http://travelnews.lv/images/2019-NedzesamaFotoMape/20190114-SiguldasSkati2.jpg[/img]
[img]https://mapeirons.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_2277.jpg[/img]
[img]https://tourism.sigulda.lv/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/FotoManLV-Siguldas-Pavasaris-2020-Krusta-kalns-un-tilts-13-1.jpg[/img]
[img]https://tourism.sigulda.lv/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Gutmanala1.jpg[/img]
going after mushrooms and berries, making little boats out of fallen tree bark and leaves, gathering acorns and chestnuts, seeing wild critters go about their lives all are strong associations with forests, though there is one other that comes to mind
schools often took us to even deeper forests where you'd often find fairytale and folktale related wooden/ stone houses and statues, open air museums and zoos <:
it greatly affected me growing up loving the medieval aesthetic and stuff made of real wood
[img]https://pic.la.lv/2020/08/mammadaba-T%C4%93rvete-r%C5%AB%C4%B7is-800x534.jpg[/img]
[img]https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/0e/64/42/e5/a-dwarfen-village.jpg[/img]
[img]https://g4.delphi.lv/images/pix/tervete-48840277.jpg[/img]
[img]https://g3.delphi.lv/images/pix/kaleti2-48840235.jpg[/img]
it's so common 'round here that not seeing some random wooden made picnic tables & seats, stairs and viewpoints, wood-carved animals and other random structures in fantasy games almost feels abnormal lol
i've spent pretty much my whole life living in "the middle of nowhere" forests, both technically due to latvia being mostly forests, and literally because of growing up in a small forest-enclosed town and later dorming at sanatoriums while studying! can't say i'm a fan of living in the city afterwards, haha
descriptions ain't my forte so i'll whip out some photos from my hometown where i've spent over 25 years just out in the wild
everyone usually speaks of the golden autumn when it comes to our forests but they're quite gorgeous in all seasons i think
going after mushrooms and berries, making little boats out of fallen tree bark and leaves, gathering acorns and chestnuts, seeing wild critters go about their lives all are strong associations with forests, though there is one other that comes to mind
schools often took us to even deeper forests where you'd often find fairytale and folktale related wooden/ stone houses and statues, open air museums and zoos <:
it greatly affected me growing up loving the medieval aesthetic and stuff made of real wood
it's so common 'round here that not seeing some random wooden made picnic tables & seats, stairs and viewpoints, wood-carved animals and other random structures in fantasy games almost feels abnormal lol
| elune adore
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