> I guess that's an artifact of mostly being a "weekend warrior" when it comes to nature and most of my daily work revolving around science and computers.

I've always liked nature but I found that my awareness of nature - and it's variations - significantly increased when I moved to a house set within a reasonably large garden that included large mature trees (oak and beech). This awareness increased when I retired and could spend more time outside - daily if I wanted. I sometimes feel that I've spotted botanical distinctions that I wasn't previously aware of - e.g. the variations in spikiness of holly leaves depending on the age of the tree and height from the ground.