Naturally Rare Words

Story & photos by Kaia Thomson / Originally published in Journal del Pacifico Fall 2022

Have you ever wondered if there was a word for some of the most amazing things in the natural world? Here is a sampling of some of them in no particular order, just unusual, fun, and relating to beautiful Baja California Sur.

Petrichor: The distinctive smell of the first rain after a period of warm, dry weather.

Dendrophile: Someone who loves nature.

Apricity: Warmth and feel of the sun in winter that is different from how it feels in the summer.

Frondescence: The appearance of new leaves on a plant.

Moonglade: The path or reflection of the moon on water

Noctivagant: One who is nocturnal, a night wanderer.

Ombrophilous: Plants and animals that have a passion for rain.

Psithurism: The sound of leaves rustling in the breeze.

Thalassic: Something pertaining to the ocean and seas.

Noctivagant: Common Mexican tree frog (Smilisca baudinii)

Cosmognosis: The instinct to which the migrations of birds has been attributed.

Ombrophobous: Plants that are incapable of withstanding long continued rain.

Phytogeography: The geographical study of plants and their global distribution

Virga: The trails of precipitation from a cloud that evaporate before reaching the ground

Serein: A fine rain which falls from a near cloudless sky, a phenomenon not unusual in tropical climates.

Renidification: To build another nest.

Spindrift: The fine spray swept from the tops of the waves by the force of the wind.

Freshet: A flood or overflowing of a river, from seasonal heavy rains

Plenilunar: Pertaining to the full moon.