Rescue Your Mind—Collect Native Seedheads and Press Them in Clay

As we move about our largely concrete and metal environment (with the occasional street tree for ornamentation), it's easy to forget that we're part of a biosphere. As we sit on our couches, scrolling through the latest political catastrophe, one loses touch with the natural world and our place in it. 

One study has shown that a human being has an average of 6,000 discreet "thoughts" over the course of a single day (other studies range much higher). For our ancestors, a large portion of those thoughts related intimately to the natural world—what is this plant and what does it mean that it's here? Does its tuber provide sustenance? Are there insects here to provide protein? Drinking water? Our species evolved big brains to communicate, to plan, and to ponder thousands of these types of questions per day. 

Today our relationship with the natural world has been severed. We glance at our phone to determine the temperature and decide what thickness coat to wear on our walk from the house to the car. That's the extent of our communion with the natural world in 2025. But our brains remain poised—highly evolved—to interpret and decipher our natural surroundings. Our livers will keep filtering toxins, our stomachs will keep digesting food, and our brains will keep churning out thousands of thoughts whether we have plants to interpret or not.

This may help explain part of the reason why our society is rife with diseases of despair and anxiety disorders. We have 6,000 thought-a-day brains, but no environment to think about. So, what do we do? We obsess and we worry. 

As I will describe in more detail in forthcoming pieces, native plant gardening is an essential way to address this tragic disconnect; but I want to home in on a related activity that I recently stumbled upon—pressing flower seedheads into clay and painting the results. 

There's nothing to it: 

1)        Buy airdry clay anywhere hobby supplies are sold (eventually I'll graduate to clay that can be fired in a kiln, but airdry clay is great for starters, no kiln needed); 

2)        Press a ball of it into a puck (you can use a rolling pin, but your hands will do just fine); 

3)        Collect some native plant seedheads from your garden (clip a bit of the stem too, for that artistic effect); 

4)        Press the seedheads into the clay (again, you can use a rolling pin or just your fingers); 

5)        Paint the impression (or leave it raw) (watercolors are particularly nice); 

6)        Paint the flat portion (or leave it raw); 

7)        Dry for 48-72 hours and seal with Mod-podge if you want it to last a little longer; 

8)        Scrape out a small indent on the back if you want to hang it on your wall. 

I have little-to-no artistic ability, so borrowing the inherent beauty of these magnificent winter seedheads is a nice little cheat. And for those with an interest in botany, nothing makes one more aware of the subtle intricacies of a sepal than trying to paint around its impression. 

But the real benefit of this activity lies in how it gently brings the mind to the subtle beauty of the natural world. Your head must be quiet to press and trace cleanly. And the curves of a dried, winter leaf or the texture of a tiny pod are better food for the mind and spirit than most of the other inane chatter to which we are accustomed. Trust me...it's a lot of fun.