Keeping a Nature Journal, 3rd Edition

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Deborah Balmuth and Lisa H. Hiley

Art direction and book design by Ash Austin

Illustrations by © Clare Walker Leslie

Additional illustrations by Ash Austin © Storey Publishing, LLC, 107 bottom; © Lyn Baldwin, 102; Chun Man Chow, 103; © Eleanor Williams Clark, 97; Karen D'Abrosca, 99 top; Courtesy of Nick Elton, 105 top left; Lisa H. Hiley © Storey Publishing, LLC, 106; Maria Hodkins, 104 top; Courtesy of Stephen Houser, Jr., 105 top right; © John Muir Laws, 101; © Sandy H. McDermott, 105 bottom; © Jonah Mateo, 100; © Margy O'Brien, 98; © Jeannine DesVergers Reese, 96; Rebecca Ries-Montgomery, 104 bottom; Charles E. Roth, v, 67; Lisa Sausville, 99 bottom left; 186 top and center; Courtesy of Angelique Scarpa, 99 bottom right; © Ilona Sherratt, 107 top left; Ilona Sherratt © Storey Publishing, LLC, 107 top right; Students of Clare Walker Leslie, 24–25, 62–63, 193

Photography courtesy of Li-Ting Hu, 14; courtesy of Clare Walker Leslie, back cover and 181

Text and illustrations © 2021 by Clare Walker Leslie. © 2000, 2003 Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth

Charles E. Roth coauthored the original edition of this book.

Ebook production by Kristy L. MacWilliams

Ebook version 0.0

June 2, 2021

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Preface

When I began my first nature journal, back in 1978, I knew very little about nature, and the prospect of the blank page and what to draw were daunting. But I was curious about the outdoors and I knew I felt happier when out wandering fields and woods. So I bought a blank book, found a pen, and began writing and drawing to remember what I was learning. My first drawing, done while exploring an Audubon sanctuary with a friend, was a hesitant description of a goldenrod gall, with the question "Who made this?"

As we walked farther, we found a meadow vole's nest, some rabbit droppings, and a few chewed twigs. A hawk circled above, and it began to drizzle. Rain droplets hung on the old raspberry brambles, and suddenly we could see the world upside down on the lens of those tiny watery orbs.

Some 40 years and 55 journals later, I can return to those early pages and remember the excitement and joy of discovery. I love going back through my journals, looking for patterns of changes — changes in my own life and the life of nature around me, as well as the ongoing consistencies as the seasons revolve, one after the other, year upon year.

When Keeping a Nature Journal was first published more than 20 years ago, "journaling about nature" wasn't really a concept. As people have become more aware of the state of the environment, however, the concept of being outside and recording one's observations of nature has become tremendously popular. The original book, written with Charles Roth, has been used all over the United States and in a number of different countries around the world. Over those years, I have had the great pleasure of teaching nature journaling in many places and to many people. Around the world, more and more people are paying attention to their environment and realizing how interconnected we all are and how we depend on every part of this living web that holds together the planet many of us call Mother Earth.

"Why keep a nature journal?" I asked a 5th grader. He answered, "Because it's fun and you learn stuff."

Everyone Can Do It

You don't need to know anything about nature, anything about drawing, anything about writing, anything about what to use or how to draw to start nature journaling. You can be living anywhere — city, suburbs, countryside — and even be indoors. You can be rich or poor, any nationality, or any age. You don't need to be in super physical shape or even have a car!

All you need is the curiosity to say to yourself "What is happening out in nature right now, right here, right where I live?" And then find out. Nature journaling is a kind of detective work or sleuthing. Begin with very simple questions, like "Are there clouds in the sky?" "Can I hear a bird?" "What's the weather doing?" "What plants do I see?"

Above all, nature journaling is fun. You can do it alone, with friends, with your kids, in a classroom, even when sick in bed. It can be done at any time of day or night, in any season and all kinds of weather. I have students teaching nature journaling in senior citizen homes, in prisons, aboard boats, while hiking and camping, and in many schools across the United States and in other countries.

Take 20 minutes out of your day to get outside (or just look out your window) and make a few scribbles about a leaf, a bird, a cloud shape, sounds heard on a brisk walk — I guarantee you will come away feeling better about life. As I will keep reminding you throughout this book, don't worry about whether your drawing is "good" or "bad." With nature journaling, it is all about how well you are seeing and recording — in both word and image.

Many of the illustrations in the book are pages from actual nature journals and have real handwriting. Some of the writing may be hard to read. In some instances, the text from the image has been added below as a caption. For many of the illustrations, the text has not been typed. If you wish to have a closer view, double-tap the image to open to fill the screen. Use the two-finger pinch-out method to zoom in. (These features are available on most e-readers.)

Many of us are looking for ways to connect better with nature — to learn its patterns, to help protect its inhabitants, to gain an understanding of what makes our own lives tick. Since the dawn of the human mind, people have sought to know nature better and to know their own selves better. Many of them went out with pen, parchment, paintbrush, and telescope to record their sightings. The nature journal has been the companion for countless men, women, and children with an insatiable curiosity about the natural world.

Nature journaling is your path into the exploration of the natural world around you, and into your personal connection with it. How you use your journal is entirely up to you. I have based my career on my journals. You can be as involved as you wish. Are you a classroom teacher, a self-taught naturalist, an artist who loves nature, a scientist who would love to draw nature, or perhaps someone who finds nature a source for healing, meditation, and connection?

What Is Nature Journaling?

Simply put, nature journaling is the regular recording of observations, perceptions, and feelings about the world of nature around you, with the date, place, time, and weather usually noted in some way. The recording can be done in a wide variety of ways, depending on your age, experience, interests, and time. There is no "correct" way to set up and keep a nature journal. The success of a nature journal is in its flexibility and very personal intention.

Some people write more than draw. Some are very scientific; some very artistic. Some take great care with their journals and use them regularly. Some are more casual, turning to them only occasionally. Photographs, postcards, online information, newspaper and magazine clippings, and other material can be added. I tell my students, "Learn the basic format for a nature journal and then launch off onto your own style and purpose."

Use the many illustrations in this book to inspire you and develop confidence in finding your way. Some were drawn by children, others by scientific illustrators. Some were done as classroom assignments, others in backyards or while traveling in far-off locations. Many were drawn quickly to capture an impression; others took several hours or even days to complete. I also recommend looking at historic nature journals and drawings, such as those by fifteenth-century artist Leonardo da Vinci (see many others in Suggested Reading and Resources). And there is a growing online presence for nature journaling, with a wide variety of courses and workshops available, as well as opportunities to share your work.

Record Your Experience

A nature journal is less a personal diary and more a recording of your responses to and learning about the natural world. As I explain to students, "You don't moan here about how horrible your life is or how much you hate your sister." This is about getting out of your head and into the world of nature. You can imply those concerns, of course, but downplay them. For example you could begin your documentation of the usual date, time, place, and weather with a note such as, "Today is my birthday and I'm taking this time for myself!"

Returning to a Rich Tradition

Nature journaling is not new. In fact, it is one of the oldest methods around: Whether they drew on cave walls, etched marks into sticks, painted stories on vases or tepees, or laboriously inscribed sheepskin manuscripts, humans have kept some form of nature journals throughout history. People have recorded hunts and battles, the passage of time, the success of an exploration, the cycle of planting and harvest. These records may not have been called nature journals at the time, but nature journals they truly were.

For centuries, sea captains have kept logs (another form of nature journal) noting the weather, constellations, passing birds, human behavior, and other items of interest. Many explorers, then and still today, take scientists and artists on their expeditions. Why do you think President Thomas Jefferson hired explorers Lewis and Clark to lead the expedition on the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean? Yes, they were experienced explorers and skilled leaders, but each also kept meticulous journals containing detailed drawings and writings. Their journals contain some of the best records we have today of their hazardous two-year journey.

In the past, many schoolchildren created nature journals that recorded both the natural world and human life around them. Without textbooks, these became a form of basal reader. Today, many schools and homeschooling groups, nature centers and camps, and even colleges and graduate-level programs are returning to the study of local habitats and moving away from a focus on exotic and faraway ecosystems. Much of this is being fostered by an increasing awareness of global climate issues and a concern for learning how to protect local environments. The surge of interest in citizen science programs and phenology (see Participating in Citizen Science) has led to more students discovering that plants, animals, weather patterns, and moon phases exist right around them, not just in the Amazon rain forest or the Artic tundra or the Australian outback.

What Is a Naturalist?

The overwhelming majority of men and women — throughout history and across many cultures — who became dedicated naturalists didn't gain their knowledge from formal schooling. Naturalists learn best outdoors, not in a lab or classroom. Naturalists are generalists, interested in everything from ants and sow bugs to daffodils and maple trees, to sea urchins and whales. The foundation for a naturalist's learning is curiosity and willingness to pursue learning in many different ways: watching, considering, recording, researching, asking questions.

When you begin a nature journal, you join the ranks of the great naturalists of the past who spent their days outdoors scratching their heads and asking, "What is going on here?" We can turn to the writings of Pliny, Aristotle, Copernicus, Leonardo da Vinci, Carolus Linnaeus, Charles Darwin, Rachel Carson, Anna Botsford Comstock, Jane Goodall, Edward O. Wilson, and so many others, as well as countless naturalists from other countries and cultures.

The Benefits of Nature Journaling

Spending time in the world, using the simple tool of a journal to observe and record what you see, is a relatively easy way to establish a connection with nature. A journal offers a great excuse to simply "mess about" outside, noting the day, the weather, and signs of the season. I am often asked if I record in my journal every day. No. Like you, I am busy. However, knowing my journal is nearby, I can quickly jot down what I see out the window while eating dinner. As one eight-year-old said after an outdoor session of nature journaling, "Boy, I have seen the day."

Learning to Unplug and Reconnect

We all have so many distractions coming at us from every angle: job commitments, family obligations, commuting woes, economic worries, and an avalanche of electronic entertainment and information that often feels inescapable. The world can seem overwhelming, yet many of us feel a true hunger to reconnect. Amid the stories of upheaval and unrest around the globe, I find many examples of the solace of nature and the power of being aware of our surroundings.