Dame Judi Dench recently revealed herself to be Britain’s foremost celebrity nemophilist.
NEMOPHILIST [noun]
A person who loves or is fond of woods or forests.
A haunter of the woods; one who loves the forest and its beauty and solitude.
Origin: Mid 19th century; earliest use found in The Atlantic Monthly. From ancient Greek νέμος wooded pasture, glade + -philist.
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/nemophilist
Walking in nature, especially in woodland or a forest, brings me into the present moment. I have no thoughts of past or future, no worries or anxieties. I slip into a state of mindfulness, fully present in the Now. I become aware of my surroundings. Everything seems bright and beautiful, vibrant, alive. My senses are heightened. I hear the birdsong, feel the earth beneath my feet, and I absorb the energy pulsing from the trees.
Woodlands are said to reduce stress and anxiety and help us to sleep better. Researchers have found that spending time in a forest can lower the stress hormone cortisol, decrease blood pressure and calm pulse rates. Trees also release chemicals which boost the immune system.
Doctors in Shetland are now giving out prescriptions to their patients for a helping of nature therapy.
The Japanese practise ‘Shinrin Yoku’, which literally means ‘forest bathing’. The government has introduced this as a national health programme.
I have come to love this solitude and communion with the natural world. My heart sings and my spirit dances with delight.
Welcome to My World 
You don’t often see this side of Wales, you have some lovely forests!
I’m a great lover of trees and forests. I find spending time in nature is so uplifting on all levels. I am indeed a ‘forest bather’.
Likewise, as you have probably begun to tell. Thanks for visiting my little part of the interwebs 😀
I’m enjoying my visits to your site, encountering things I’ve never seen before. Thank you.
Thank you and it’s my pleasure. I don’t stick to one style of photography or subject, it all depends what I see. You never know what might be next, it keeps things and life interesting 😀
Yes, I like that idea. Thank you.
Thank you, Amy. Apologies for the delay in replying. Some of the comments have got lost in the system and are just showing up today!
I’m one too! What a great new word.
There’s so many of us, you wouldn’t believe. Great to meet so many fellow nemophilists!
I didn’t even know there’s a special word for it –
thanks for sharing Lizzie – I’m definitely
a Nemophilist down to my core! Forests and woodlands are full of magic and I hope more and more people will wake up and realise how spending time admiring trees and all living things can be beneficial for ones body and soul. Have a good day 😀
I completely agree with you. I do believe an awakening is taking place today and we are blessed to be the trail blazers. Thank you for participating.
Beautiful Izzy! I am most definitely a nemophilist! ❤🌳🌲🌴😊
Thank you, Jewels. It’s food for the soul, isn’t it. As well as uplifting for body and mind. 🙂💙
I’m with you! I walk in the forest almost every day ad it fills my soul.
Alison
Join the Nemophilist club, Alison. So many of us are awakening to the healing power of nature. Lovely to hear from you.
I feel recharged after a walk in the woods, now I know why.
Yes, it really works, Kathy. I feel recharged on all levels after ‘nature therapy’. Nice to hear from you. Thank you.
Beautiful tree images. So glad to hear about the nature therapy! 🙂
Me, too!
Welcome, Mike. Join the Nemophilist Club. There seems to be a lot of us around.
Thank you so much for this word, Lizzie. It’s totally new to me, and I am one too! Lovely post all round.
Thank you, Tish. I first heard the word on a BBC documentary about Dame Judi Dench and her love for woodlands. There’s quite a lot of Nemophilists here on WordPress!
I am a Nemophilist!! And I love coming to your place of peace and tranquility!
We have so much in common, Rebecca. I only wish we lived nearer to each other. Sending blessings across the ocean 💙💚
I love our narrow strip of cottonwood forest we call the Bosque that grows on both side of the Rio Grande in central New Mexico. Otherwise, I like dry, desert conditions.
That sounds a lovely place to live. I think I’d settle for the forest rather than the desert!
I think climate and ecosystems preferences has everything to do with what we grow up with. We have forests in the mountains, and while they are beautiful, especially when they change color in the fall, when I’m in the forest I feel like I can’t see the landscape or the wide, open sky because of the trees.
It all sounds amazing.