Nature Journaling
“Shh. Listen to the sounds that surround you. Notice the pitches, the volume, the timbre, the many lines of counterpoint. As light taught Monet to paint, the earth may be teaching you music.”
― Pete Seeger
From Life to the Page
The natural world holds many mysteries for those who are not botanists, biologists, or entomologists. “What is that tree, that plant? How do crows manage in winter? What kind of woodpecker made this hole in this tree? How long does a bee spend on each flower?”
Unravelling Mysteries
In addition to being a captivating occupation, nature journaling can help us unravel these mysteries by recording and thinking about our careful observations. It’s also very adaptable.
Some of us record with drawings or paintings. Some people write. Some people make charts with numbers. Or scratch little doodles that they understand even if others don’t.
Nature Journaler’s Mantra
Using the nature journaler’s mantra, we continually ask, “ I notice, I wonder, it reminds me of…” This can guide us to research and leaf through previous years’ journals to see if the same things happened.
