As a neuroscience nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, Abby Howe spends her days assisting patients with brain and nervous-system disorders, such as strokes and seizures. Caring for others is what the 32-year-old Boston resident loves most in life — which helps explain why her Instagram (@dearabbybird) exists as something of a virtual Zen garden, intended not just to highlight gorgeous landscapes but also to offer fatigued followers a pictorial pick-me-up.

Q. Let’s start with that handle. What’s the story behind @dearabbybird?

A. Well, first, I love birds, and I put a lot of pictures of birds in my feed. And for the “Dear Abby’’ part, I tend to give a lot of advice. When I was in nursing school a lot of my friends would come to me for support, so that’s where “Dear Abby’’ started. I wanted my Instagram to be an outlet for people who are in need of some support. It’s something I love looking at, and something I love doing.

Q. Your feed is filled with landscapes. Why?

A. I’ve always loved landscapes — I spend a lot of time in nature and do a lot of hiking. I can see how the Earth makes everything beautiful, and I want to capture that — I just see the composition. It’s also so calming. When I take a picture of a beach, I want serenity in it. With people, you get all their emotions in a photo, but with nature, it’s different. I love the emotion you can portray through landscapes.

Q. When do you find the time to go out to these locations?

A. I go all over New England on my days off, anywhere and everywhere I can. My mom lives in Colorado so I go there once or twice a year. Recently, I drove to Acadia [Maine], so I woke up at 2:30 a.m. and got there for sunrise, stayed until after sunset, then drove back [laughs]. I like to get out of the city, because I feel refreshed in nature. I find if I go somewhere like Maine, where it’s just me and nature, I can refocus.

Q. Your posts are accompanied by quotes, all of which are artistic in of themselves. Do you have a favorite?

A. There’s one I live by, a Maya Angelou quote: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.’’ In life and photography, I’m always learning about the world, about myself, and about how to better support people.

Q. What appeals to you the most about Instagram?

A. I love sharing my adventures with people, and seeing the quotes help people I’ll get direct messages — someone saying, “Thank you, I needed this today’’ — and that’s really important to me. Sharing my photography and being able to support people, even if they’re strangers, is amazing.

This interview was edited and condensed. Isaac Feldberg can be reached at isaac.feldberg@ globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @i_feldberg.