SIGNIFICANCE OF NATURE
The Grass Type is one of Eighteen different Types of Pokemon, Trainers, and Gym Leaders. Grass Type Pokemon are the best at super-effectively handling commonly used Water/Ground types. However, these types are often weak, or not effective to, other types of Pokemon. So why did Erika pick the grass type, and why does she love nature?Erika is a timid girl, someone who is very elegant and classy. So, her Pokemon may not be very good in an offensive position, but they have great points when it comes to defense. Most grass type Pokemon are also another type, which give them an advantage in this category. While in the contest mode, grass type moves are often seen as smart moves, which is another way to categorize Erika. During generation 1, which Erika is from, the Gym Guide calls Grass-Type Pokemon the plant type in the both the English version and Japanese version.
Now, to make it more personal to Erika - she always talks about how she teaches flower arranging. Flower arrangement is an art to enhance the beauty of flowers in an artistic fashion. China was the first country to come up with this idea. Japan grasped this vision shortly afterwards, loving how China cut flowers and added it to water and a container. They loved it so much that they created schools for this art. The Japanese culture expanded flower arrangement into a meditative practice, which had its roots in beliefs and philosophies. Flower arrangement became an art form that inspired contemplation and transcended decorative and devotional functions. The other girls in the Celadon Gym comment on how they use their grass type Pokemon to help them create these types of arrangements. They all simply love flowers, the aroma that comes off of them, and the land around them.
Another factor that proves her love for nature is the fact that she only loves Pokemon that are "beautiful," yet they are all flowers. This shows that she is sort of a botanist, loving and thinking the flower Pokemon are beautiful. She has flowers and trees all over in her gym. The outside of her gym looks like a giant Gloom in the anime version too. She appreciates the plants around her, and can understand how they need to be taken care of.
"Do you like plants? Plants are such delicate things. The amount of water, the condition of the soil, the temperature differences, the changing weather... All those little things we don't think about can have such a huge effect." - - - Pokegear Phone