, Magic: The Gathering
The word "Nature" refers to (or should) all of the natural world. That means that all elemental powers should, in theory, be covered by it. However, in fiction, it often gets associated with plants, sometimes with a dash of earth powers.
While plants are part of nature, so are mountains, deserts, the sea, the sun and moon, fire, lightning, space... heck, even life and death, if you use a broad definition.
However, for some reason, in fiction, specially when Elemental Powers is in play, the word "Nature" becomes shorthand for plant-based powers. Expect the person with nature powers to control plants, while there is another person who controls fire, another who controls water, etc... Despite the fact that, by literal definition, all those things are part of nature. Nature associated things and people will almost always have a green Color Motif as well because of this trope causing Green Means Natural.
Maybe it's because forests are what first comes to the mind of most people when they think of nature, or the author just thinks the name sounds good. May also come from old mythologies where the term god(ess) of nature is usually applied to gods of plants, forests, fertility and sometimes the earth. Compare Nature Spirit, when the spirit in question represents plants rather than other elements, and Flowers of Nature, when plants are used as a visual shorthand that a character is associated with nature.
Examples:
- DC Universe Online has the "Nature" powerset, with half of the powers focusing on the "Flora" element of nature (a.k.a. plants). The other half focuses on the "Fauna" aspect of nature (i.e. animal powers, with Voluntary Shapeshifting and the like).
- In Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II Nature damage is done using plants and was supposed to be done with earth if not for a bug.
- EverQuest and EverQuest II have a full pantheon of deities. The material realm of existence itself rests on a balance of the four elements of Earth, Fire, Air, and the three forms of Water. These 7 elemental gods then divvy up the influences of existence into material and mental influences for other gods to take control over. One could say that all of the gods who represent a physical influence such as the Sun, Sky, Underground, or the Seas could represent nature, but Tunare is worshipped as the Goddess of Nature, although her influence is Growth. The physical entrance to her Plane of Growth rests in the middle of the Wakening Lands, a massive thriving forest found in the middle of the frozen continent of Velious. In EQII, Tunare's influence is best felt in Lesser Faydark, which is full of massively overgrown mushrooms, roots, and vines.
- Kid Icarus: Uprising: Viridi is the goddess of nature. Most of her troops are plants, she carries a wood staff, and when she warps Pit, you see some leaves around him. Note that in this game, while the goddess of lightning is under Viridi's command, there are separate sun and sea gods (Pyrhon and Poseidon) despite the fact that the sun and sea are part of nature.
- Shantae and the Seven Sirens: Refresh Dance uses "The power of nature" and it comes from Shantae using the power of Vera, a half-genie named after the Aloe Vera plant.
- The magical element that draws from the Green Moon in Skies of Arcadia is labeled "nature", and it resembles the Wood element; one of the magic attacks drawing from the Green Moon is a toxic gas. Also, the continent under the Green Moon, Ixa'taka, is covered with forests and the Moon's magic allows it to grow and quickly recover from damage.
- The Nature type in Temtem encompasses plants. In the game's setting, it's associated with the jungles of Omninesia in contrast to its volcano.
- Titan Quest: Nature Mastery is about forests, like briars, dryads, oaks, and wolves.
- In TOME, the Natural elemental alignment is associated with plants, air and the earth. It contrasts with the Technical element (associated with lightning), the Infernal element (Fire), and the Crystal element (water and ice).
- Downplayed in Dungeons & Dragons, Nature domain spells are mostly associated with control over plants or animals (With the sole exception of Wind Wall. Separate domains focused on Cold, Fire, the Sea and the Sun exist.
- In Magic: The Gathering:
- Cards like Nature's Spiral, Nature's Revolt, Back to Nature, Commune with Nature, One with Nature, Force of Nature, and Return to Nature are all Green/Forest card. Nature's Lore's card lore best exemplifies this trope.
- In general Green is the color most concerned with nature, but in practise most of its powers are plant or animal based, with classical Elemental Powers being normally assigned to other colors (Water Is Blue and Fire Is Red literally). On rare occasions it gets something in tune with other aspects of its philosophy like fate, but most Green cards are ultimately an example of this trope.
- Cards like Nature's Spiral
- Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Naturia archetype is made up of anthropomorphic plants, animal-plant hybrids, and a living cliffside (covered in vegetation, of course).
- This very Wiki: The page for Mother Nature mentions a Garden Garment and a Fertile Feet as staples of the archetype.
- Ninjago: Bolobo, Master of Nature, has plant based powers, being able to rapidly grow and control them.
- Flora from Winx Club carries the title "Fairy of Nature" and uses plant-based magic. This is distinguished from Bloom's fire magic, Stella's solar and lunar magic, Aisha's water magic, and Stormy's weather magic.
