Words for Nature
The landscape, the weather and everything growing in it.
Precise nature words make outdoor writing believable. These name specific weather, terrain and growth rather than settling for 'trees' and 'nice view'.
28 words
meadow
noun
A field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay.
thicket
noun
A dense growth of bushes.
estuary
noun
The wide part of a river where it nears the sea; fresh and salt water mix.
ridge
noun
A long narrow natural elevation or striation.
canopy
noun
The transparent covering of an aircraft cockpit.
marsh
noun
Low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water.
“thousands of acres of marshland”
drizzle
noun
Very light rain; stronger than mist but less than a shower.
gale
noun
A strong wind moving 45-90 knots; force 7 to 10 on Beaufort scale.
foliage
noun
The main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants.
glacier
noun
A slowly moving mass of ice.
dune
noun
A ridge of sand created by the wind; found in deserts or near lakes and oceans.
brook
noun
A natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river).
“the creek dried up every summer”
gorge
verb
Overeat or eat immodestly; make a pig of oneself.
“She stuffed herself at the dinner”
alpine
adjective
Relating to or characteristic of alps.
“alpine sports”
tundra
noun
A vast treeless plain in the Arctic regions where the subsoil is permanently frozen.
undergrowth
noun
The brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest.
clearing
noun
A tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area.
bloom
verb
Produce or yield flowers.
“The cherry tree bloomed”
tidal
adjective
Of or relating to or caused by tides.
“tidal wave”
overcast
noun
The state of the sky when it is covered by clouds.
frost
noun
Ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside).
moss
noun
Tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants.
heath
noun
A low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers.
cascade
verb
Rush down in big quantities, like a cascade.
wetland
noun
A low area where the land is saturated with water.
boulder
noun
A large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin.
lagoon
noun
A body of water cut off from a larger body by a reef of sand or coral.
migratory
adjective
Used of animals that move seasonally.
“migratory birds”