You are looking to connect. So you open your dating app and start scrolling through profiles.
Then you pause. Something’s different about this one.
It reads: “Life is all about the connections. I am dynamic, resilient and always seeking balance. I’m looking for a partner who is nurturing, always looking for the â€کawe’ in life and believes age is just a number.â€
You swipe right.
OK, maybe you won’t find Mother Nature scrolling through a dating app but planning some quality time with nature has its benefits. Time in nature has been shown to reduce blood pressure, lower stress and improve overall mental health.
So, take a chance and plan a date with nature. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.
Dinner date: Pack up some of your favorite foods and head outside for a picnic. Whether you pick a spot at a state park, local green space or your backyard, picnics are an easy way to dine out with nature. Want your dinner date to be a little more adventurous? Try mushroom foraging. It helps you connect to nature through discovery, observation and food.
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Get to know nature with trivia: Deepen your connection with Mother Nature with Nature Nerd Trivia Night. Hosted statewide by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, these events are a fun way to test your nature knowledge. The next Nature Nerd Trivia Night will be Oct. 19. Check for locations and more information.
Express yourself through art: Express your admiration of nature’s beauty through art, whether sketching in a nature journal or participating in our annual Inktober Nebraska Nature Challenge; follow us on Facebook or Instagram in October for more details at @newildlifeeducation.
Take a paddle: Nothing is as idyllic as paddling on the smooth water of a lake surrounded by picturesque views. Kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards are great options for getting out on the water. Visit to learn about Game and Parks’ paddling events near you.
Dive deeper: So, you are smitten with nature and want to take the next step. Nebraska Master Naturalists might be a great place to start. It offers participants in-depth training about nature and connects them to local, hands-on projects. It also gives participants the opportunity to connect with others in their community who share common interests.
Another way to deepen your connection to nature is through citizen or community science, which speaks to research that involves the public. These inclusive inquiries can require little to no prior experience, such as contributing nature observations to iNaturalist, a web- and app-based platform that enables participants to upload observations in the form of images or audio files. Participants then can utilize the platform’s artificial intelligence and community of fellow users to identify what they found. All uploaded observations then become part of the iNaturalist database, which can be used in wildlife research.
Check out the project directory on the Community Scientists of Nebraska Network webpage at to learn more.
There are so many great ways to “date†nature. The important part is connecting with the natural world around you. Who knows, just like dating in the real world, you might even learn more about yourself along the way.
Check out 50 stunning photos of Nebraska
Rain clouds and a bit of a rainbow roll over the sky in Millardآ on Aug. 16, 2016.آ
The sun sets behind a center pivot located north of Red Cloud, Nebraska, on Thursday, July 27, 2006.آ
Storm clouds hide the sun as it sets over Nebraska's Sand Hills on July 7, 2009, near Thedord, Nebraska.آ
A summer storm passes north of Rose, Nebraska, on Sunday, June 10, 2007.آ
A rainbow forms over U.S. Highway 12, just east of Valentine, Nebraska, as storms roll over the area on July 25, 2017.آ
The sun sets behind an approaching storm as a car heads west on U.S. Highway 34 near Union, Nebraska, on April 24, 2016.آ
Icicles form on vines in downtown Omaha on Feb. 24, 2017.آ
Railroad tracks are illuminated by the setting sun on May 3, 2017, east of Scottsbluff, Nebraska.آ
The sun sets behind Chimney Rock on May 3, 2017.آ
Members of the Boats, Bikes, Boots & Brews group head to shore as the sun sets after an evening out on Lake Zorinsky on April 22, 2015.آ
Icicles hang from the horse carriage parking sign in the Old Market on Jan. 15, 2017.آ
Wheat, ready for the combine, is silhouetted by the setting sun as the wheat harvest on the Lagler farm near Grant, Nebraska, was in full swing on July 7, 2005.
A layer of fog covers the Missouri River near the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge on Feb. 5, 2015.
A setting sun creates a pink haze on a windmill and the Sand Hills southwest of Rushville, Nebraska, on Sept. 22, 2007.آ
Pigeons scatter at sunset as the St. John's steeple is silhouetted against the Woodmen tower in downtown Omaha on Oct. 3, 2014.آ
The sun bursts behind the clouds over the North Platte River east of Bridgeport, Nebraska, on July 26, 2006.
Steve Jobman, a farmer south of Minatare, Nebraska, cuts alfalfa after sunset on June 2, 2004.آ
Wheat waves in the wind in a field west of Dalton, Nebraska, on July 18, 2001.آ
The moon rises over the northern cross of the St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha on Feb. 10, 2017. On this night, there was a full moon, a lunar eclipse and comet 45P passed by the earth.آ
As the wind speed picks up, a woman holds onto her hood while crossing 16th Street along Dodge Street in Omaha on Feb. 24, 2017.آ
From left: Melody Borcherding, Kseniya Burgoon and Michael Beltz scoop out a vehicle on Jan. 23, 2018, in Norfolk.
Jeff Bachman harvests soybeans and prepares to transfer them as the sun sets on a field near Ayr, Nebraska, on Oct. 19, 2008.
As the sun sets, sandhill cranes arrive to roost in the Platte River at the Rowe Sanctuary & Iain Nicholson Audubon Center south of Gibbon, Nebraska, on March 12, 2008.آ
A pair of sandhill cranes pass in front of the moon shortly after sunrise at the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary near Gibbon, Nebraska, on March 13, 2012. Sandhill cranes, which mate for life, can live between 20 and 40 years.
A windmill is dwarfed by storm clouds near Crawford, Nebraska, on May 3, 2017.آ
An early November storm system rolls through the Great Plains, but Omaha only receives rain, which collected on freshly-fallen leaves on Nov. 11, 2015.آ
Cattle head up to a well to get a drink at the end of the day near Sparks, Nebraska, on Aug. 21, 2015. Smoke from the wildfires in the western states created a haze.آ
The moon rises above the corn as farmers harvest the last of their fields in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa on Nov. 5, 2014.آ
Two riders help round up part of the 750 head of cattle branded at the Lute Family Ranch, located south of Hyannis, Nebraska, on May 12, 2005. Mick Knott, who runs the ranch, owns about half the cattle, and the Lute Foundation owns the rest. The work started about dawn and finished about noon.آ
The rising sun illuminates a tree and a windmill in a snow-covered field located on U.S. Highway 20 between Rushville and Chadron, Nebraska, on March 1, 2017.آ
The College Home Run Derby was held at TD Ameritrade Park and was highlighted by The World-Herald's annual Independence Day fireworks display on July 2, 2015.آ
Fog rises from the Missouri River and covers the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge on Jan. 5, 2010.آ
The weekend's perfect weather colored the clouds at sunset south of Wymore, Nebraska, on Oct. 23, 2004.آ
Deer chill out at Chalco Hills Recreation Area on Feb. 22, 2018.آ
A leaf is covered in a dusting of snow near 138th and Hickory Streets on Dec. 18, 2014, in Millard.آ
A runner emerges from the edge of the rising sun on Sept. 11, 2015, at Zorinsky Lake Park and Recreation Area in Omaha.
Nearly 45 minutes after sunset, an orange and blue glow is seen setting behind the Omaha skyline flanked between trees in Council Bluffs on Jan. 11, 2018.آ
Rain drops collect on a flower following early showers on May 10, 2017, in Millard.
The promise of rain is fleeting for the seven windmills on the Watson Ranch north of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, on U.S. 71 on May 16, 2004.آ
A crescent moon sets behind the UNO bell tower.آ
Ralph Remmert is depicted in the mural "Fertile Ground" near 13th and Mike Fahey Streets in north downtown Omaha on June 19, 2017.آ
Ralph Kohler, 94, keeps his eyes to the sky for ducks and geese as the sun rises over his hunting pond east of Tekamah, Nebraska, on Nov. 30, 2011. Kohler has been a professional guide for most of his life, and he is preparing for the spring season.آ
The sun rises over St. Paul Lutheran Church, located three miles north of Republican City, Nebraska, in March of 2004.آ
Geese are silhouetted in the color and clouds as the sun sets at Zorinsky Lake on Feb. 21, 2016.آ
The sun rises on Chimney Rock on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014, near McGrew, Nebraska.آ
A bespangled vest awaits a rider during Nebraska's Big Rodeo on July 25, 2013, in Burwell, Nebraska.آ
Horses stand in the snow on Feb. 22, 2018.
Residents of the Nebraska Panhandle enjoyed unseasonably mild temperatures and cloud cover on Aug. 12, 2004.آ
Members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association hold their hats as 2013 Miss Burwell Rodeo Olivia Hunsperger passes by during the opening ceremonies on July 27, 2013, in Burwell, Nebraska. "This may be a small town, but it's got a big rodeo, and it's got a really big heart," Hunsperger said.آ
John Wanief waits for the bus in a shelter at 120th Street and West Center Road as cold rain pours down in Millard on Nov. 11, 2015.آ
