Drawing a line through July

July might be my favorite month of the year. I love going out on long summer days and seeing all the beetles, moths, ants and butterflies doing their thing on plants, whether it be in my vegetable garden or at a natural area. And so much is blooming this time of year, one doesn’t want to miss out on any of it.

During July, I found myself getting excited about doing single-line contour drawings in my nature journal. A single-line contour drawing means doing a drawing without lifting the pen.

Single-line contour drawings free me from the pressure of not making a mistake, simply because this method means that you are guaranteed to make a “mistake” and you won’t make a perfectly polished drawing.

The slow method of following every contour of my subject with the pen on my page means that I’m really seeing what I’m looking at. For botanical subjects, it means that I’m really getting to know the structure of the plant. The crawling line is an artifact of my discovery of the plant.

I feel like I see my “hand” in the single-line contour drawings and they feel like “me.” And it’s a nice counter-practice to my more laborious botanical compositions and studies in colored pencil, which can have me working on a single leaf for several hours.

I’ll work on each drawing for maybe 20 minutes in the field, using a size 1 Micron pen. I’ll jot down some notes about the plant to annotate my drawing – whether it has a fuzzy stem, rough leaves or anything else I observe about my subject. By working quickly, I’m able to study a few plants rather than doing a single plant portrait.

When I have time at my desk at home, I’ll add some watercolor wash to the page. Micron pens are waterproof so I don’t have to worry about smearing. I’ve been using Beam Paints watercolors, which have some opacity to them. I like this because I’m working in a sketchbook that doesn’t have heavy paper and will buckle with anything more than a light wash.

I also do what some folks call post-hoc nature journaling. I’ll do some research about the plant or insects I’ve observed and add that information to my sketchbook page. I’ll also write down questions that come up and make connections to my past observations and experiences. This has been a fun way to take a deeper dive into some of the plants that I’m getting to know through my drawing, and the insects that depend on and make use of them.

Experimenting with drawings filled with color on my iPad Pro.

I have also tried out taking a photo of my sketchbook pages and, using my Apple pencil with my iPad, doing single-line contour drawings of my single-line contour drawings in Adobe Fresco. This program allows users to add “live paint” that mimics traditional wet media. I’d like to experiment more with digital media and I like this relationship between my nature journaling and illustration – I don’t feel the pressure to make any “finished” work in my sketchbook but it informs other projects that I’m working on.

I hope that you’re getting out and getting to know the plants and wildlife around you, whether it be through nature journaling or other means. There’s a lot to see and celebrate on and off the page!

september and october 2021

I haven’t been nature journaling — or updating this blog — as much as I’d like lately. Partly that’s because I’ve been really busy with other projects, including my perpetual journal and a botanical art commission (more on that later).

In September, the Chicago Nature Journaling Club held its first meetup on a bright and sunny morning. We plan to meet on the last Sunday of every month moving forward, including during the cold months. If you’re interested in getting involved with the group, please send me an email by clicking the envelope icon in the sidebar or email me at maureen@maureenclaremurphy.com.

I would like to get back into a more regular nature journaling practice — even if it’s just writing a sentence or two each day to record the interesting crow behavior I’ve been noticing around my office (some 20 crows were mobbing to Cooper’s hawks right outside the window earlier this week). But even if I’m only journaling for half an hour once a week, or even less frequently, it is better than nothing and a little bit can go a long way.

august 2021

Here are the pages from my nature journal for August, save for one collection of sketches that I did during a field trip on August 30, which I’ll include in my September roundup.

I experimented a lot in my nature journaling practice this month. I introduced new materials, like the Copic Multiliner in warm grey, which I really like, since it looks like graphite but won’t smear. I also started using watercolors — I got the mixing palette from Beam Paints and I’m really enjoying playing around with that.

I also began writing longer posts on my website and Instagram connected to my nature journaling practice. I wrote about the species Flowering Spurge, why I started a perpetual journal, and some thoughts inspired by an encounter with American Groundnut during a field trip up to Middlefork Savanna, one of my favorite places.

I played around with style and technique in my nature journal this month too, so there’s a lot going on, not all of it successfully. But that’s what a sketchbook is for — exploration and experimentation. I also worked more from photo reference than I’ve done in the past, though field study remains the foundation of my nature journaling practice.

My favorite thing in my nature journal this month might be the stamp from the Indiana Dunes National Park visitors center at Miller Woods! I hope you feel inspired to keep an illustrated journal recording your experiences in nature if you aren’t keeping one already.

july 2021

One way to get better at something is to start teaching it.

So I’ve learned since I started teaching nature journaling, holding two public workshops this month. Both were great experiences and I’m so grateful to the people who came and tried something new. The feedback I heard from participants was that they learned to be more patient, to slow down and to look more closely. One participant said that it felt like therapy to her. Another person suggested that we should have taken our blood pressure before and after to see whether there was a difference.

Participants in my workshops have taken the nature journaling concepts I’ve introduced and run with them in their own directions, and that has been exciting to see. One participant looking at an ancient oak tree read its structure as a map of motherhood. Another participant looked at her surroundings and conducted a forensic investigation of sorts, considering what she saw in relation to everything else to draw some educated guesses about the recent history of the site. Another participant noticed that there were minuscule gold beads on a caterpillar chrysalis — a tiny, deeply satisfying reward for looking closely with an open mind.

Some of my nature journal entries for July were done during my workshops. With what I’m teaching fresh on my mind, I think my nature journaling was more dynamic and, if anything, more prolific during the month.

I’m not sure how much longer I’ll publish my monthly archive online. I think I’m going to start writing regularly on themes related to nature journaling or what I’ve been studying in my nature journal.

I’m also going to be trying a new approach to my nature journaling and field art. I have long admired Lara Call Gastinger’s perpetual journal practice and after I heard her interviewed on the Journaling with Nature podcast, I finally committed to starting a perpetual journal of my own once I’m finished with my current sketchbook. I’m going to continue a keep a traditionally chronological nature journal but that’s going to look different too.

In addition to exploring our environments, nature journaling is a great way to explore techniques and media. More on that soon!

june 2021

June marks the wind-down of the spring bird migration and the beginning of baby bird season. Things I observed this month include a mallard nesting in the stevia patch in the community garden to which I belong. When I went back to check on it a week later, the nest had seemingly been predated and abandoned. But later in June, I saw a red-headed woodpecker make multiple visits to a nest hole at Turnbull Woods, near the Chicago Botanic Garden. I wasn’t able to see the baby bird in the nest hole, but from observing the adult bird’s behavior, I could surmise that one (or more) was there. That same day I observed a mink being chased by blackbirds, a bald eagle being chased by much smaller birds, a kingbird chasing a much larger black-crowned night heron, and a tree swallow chasing a goldfinch. I can recollect this information today because I took the time to write it down when I made these observations. Otherwise, those experiences would have gotten lost in the shuffle of life. If you don’t have the time to make a detailed study on your page, just writing can preserve your memories of your experiences in nature.

may 2021

My nature journaling this month is testimony to the idea that a little bit goes a long way.

Reflecting on my May nature journal entries two months later, I’m surprised by how much nature journaling I was able to do, given that I was not able to spend much time on it. While Gaza was under attack, and immediately afterward, I was working long hours, writing several articles on the horrific situation there and its political context. So most of my journaling was done in the first week of the month but after the Gaza war began on 10 May, I did give myself a few minutes here and there to write down what I was observing — both internally and externally.

It was hard for me to get back in the mindset of nature journaling or really anything else after the war. But I’m glad that I was still journaling at a reduced level versus not doing it at all, trusting that it would help me reconnect to that which makes life worth living, to borrow from the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.

april 2021

April is all about spring ephemerals in the Chicagoland area. I was happy to be reunited with familiar friends like Virginia spring beauty, bloodroot and Virginia bluebells this month. I also made some new friends like twin leaf, which is now rare in the area. I also met celandine poppy at a wildflower garden and decided to try making a pattern using that distinctive plant as the motif. Now I am finding celandine poppy everywhere!

During the last two months, I was in the thick of a surface design course, which heavily influenced my nature journaling/field sketching practice during that time. I use the forwardslash because sometimes it’s hard to tease the two apart, and that’s ok. So I was really focused on the physical appearance of things this month so I can use my nature journal for design reference. I’m not sure where I’ll go with surface design but I know that it will center on my love of and direct experience with the plants and animals in my environment.

february and march 2021

I didn’t update my nature journal archive at the end of February, so here are February and March combined. Spring started poking up through the snow during March, and we marked the one-year anniversary of the pandemic that has impacted all of our lives. Meanwhile, the birds press on with their spring migration, the snow melts and color returns to the landscape.

I don’t tend to show my nature journal entries online immediately after I’ve made them. I like the separation of time and space between my nature journaling practice and social media. I am wary of my nature journaling feeling too much like a performance. And so I don’t tend to show my full nature journal pages on social media, only a few details, with the hope that it encourages others to take up the practice.

In March I began an intensive surface design online course called Immersion. One month in, I’m planning my first pattern collection and I know that my designs will be grounded in my direct observations of nature. I’m curious to see how the relationship between my nature journal/field sketching and my vector illustration evolves over time.

I’ll be ending this entry on a sad note. The Brant goose that was the star of my nature journal in January was hit by a car (or so it’s presumed) and killed in Indiana soon after I and many other birders observed the rare arctic visitor in Chicago. Bob Dolgan, a nature journalist of the writing sort, recounts the Brant’s visit to the Chicagoland area and its unhappy fate on his website, This Week in Birding.

january 2021

I taught my first nature journaling workshop via Zoom this month, and that was a great experience. Thank you to everyone who joined me for my first workshop and to my friends who gave their time for a practice run beforehand. I really enjoyed guiding people through the “I notice, I wonder, this reminds me of prompts” and it was so fun to see some of the participants’ work at the end and to hear them reflect on the experience.

So I’m a bit sheepish that I didn’t journal as much as usual this month. Partly that’s because winter is in full swing here in Chicago, and partly because my attention has been directed elsewhere.

But I’m inspired by this interview with Kristin Link on the Journaling with Nature podcast (every episode is always so good). Like me, she loves sketching outside but she’s also finding ways to nature journal indoors during winter. So I’ve decided to make a nature journal entry each day, even if it’s just a note about what birds I’ve observed from my window throughout the day, or a simple drawing of snow on the tree branches outside. As Link says, “It’s less about the artwork, more about recording information and observations.” A nature journal can be broader than a field sketchbook. And, as podcast host Bethan Burton says, that it can be whatever you want it to be — whatever serves your purposes.

I also appreciated what Link said about the spiritual aspect of connecting with nature. I know that I felt the most fully human this month after spending chunks of time just observing grazing Canada geese and various waterfowl interacting in a patch of open water in a mostly frozen harbor.

december 2020

A little bit goes a long way. I didn’t nature journal as much as I normally do this month, though I spent time thinking about nature journaling and preparing for a nature journaling workshop I’ll be doing in early January. My excursions outdoors are shorter in the colder months than they are in warmer seasons and I tend to work quickly in my nature journal with just a pen and water brush. These shorter sprints in my nature journal bring benefits all the same, deepening my curiosity, making new connections, and renewing my sense of belonging and purpose.

How to nature journal

What is nature journaling?

Here’s a definition from Paula Peeters:

“Nature journaling is the practice of drawing or writing in response to observations of nature. This practice results in the creation of your own unique nature journal. ... It helps you to notice the details in nature, and improves your recognition of different species, and your understanding of where and how they live.”

Nature journaling isn’t so much about writing and drawing. It’s more about seeing and observing. It’s a means by which we can slow down, deepen our connection to our environments and better appreciate the astounding diversity of life all around us. Through this connection, we can find our own sense of place.

Nature journaling is a practice. Deep observation is like any other skill -- it must be practiced and developed. With practice, I’m sure you will find that the quality of your nature journal observations will strengthen over time. And a regular practice of deep observation will change the way you see and relate to the world.

To me, the purpose of nature journaling is not to make a beautiful picture or a perfect poem. It’s to commune with more-than-human life and foster sustained and compassionate attention to the world around me. Nature journaling may help calm any anxiety you may be feeling and leave you feeling more refreshed than before.

How do I start nature journaling?

1. Grab some paper and a writing utensil

2. Find an interesting aspect of nature to observe

3. Start journaling, using a combination of words, pictures and numbers

Those are the bones of nature journaling. And your journaling practice doesn’t even have to be on paper. It could be done through audio or video media; it’s really the principles of observation that matter. But I journal using a traditional book format, so that’s what I’ll be elaborating on here.

What materials should I use?

Your sketchbook or notebook doesn’t have to be anything fancy, and something fancy may be intimidating for anyone just starting. The best journaling surface is the one that you’ll actually use. And the same principle applies to your writing/drawing implement. Over time you might want to experiment with other media. But your nature journal can be as simple as a composition notebook and a ballpoint pen. Keeping it simple will encourage you to carry your journal around with you so that you’ll actually use it.

If you’re on a hike or you set out somewhere with the intention of nature journaling, open your journal as soon as you get to your destination. Write down the location at the top of the page and the date and time, the weather conditions, and any other pertinent metadata. Take a few moments to record your first impressions or whatever is on your mind. Tap into your senses. What are you feeling at the moment? Write it down or represent it through images in your journal. Holding your journal in your hand and getting some first marks or words on paper will establish your intention and encourage you to record more observations while you’re there.

What should I observe?

You can nature journal about pretty much anything from pretty much anywhere. This is both wonderful and potentially overwhelming.

Consider starting with small subjects. Instead of journaling a whole tree, try focusing on buds, a fruit, a seed, or an individual leaf. (If you find a fairly flat leaf, you can even trace it.)

During cold winter months, I like to walk to one of the community gardens in my neighborhood and observe dormant plants. Or I go to the lake and observe gulls congregated on the beach. Trees offer us something to study and appreciate year-round: buds, bark, leaves, seeds, and evidence of other organisms' activity on any of their parts. Here in Chicago, there are always Canada geese and house sparrows around, and squirrels too. They frequently appear in my nature journal.

Sometimes I nature journal from inside my home. I can observe birds from my window and describe their behavior in my journal. Some nature journalists will study the same thing over time: like a germinating avocado seed or changing light and weather patterns in the sky, viewed from one of your windows. You can also find a nature journal study subject in the crisper drawer in your fridge.

Sometimes I have a subject in mind when I set out to nature journal. Sometimes that aspiration can be as non-profound as I’m interested in flowers with umbel-shaped inflorescences because I like the way they look, so I want to focus on them in my journaling for the day. Sometimes I’m looking for a particular plant species because I know from experience that it’s flowering that time of year, and so that will be a nature journaling target for the day. But most of the time, I just set out with the intention of putting something on the page and respond to whatever sparks my curiosity that day.

How do I observe?

Following your curiosity is the mindset of nature journaling.

John Muir Laws offers three prompts that can shift our mindset to one of curiosity:

I notice

I wonder

It reminds me of

If you’re ever feeling stuck or need a gentle nudge, these prompts can fuel unlimited exploration of whatever you are observing. You can practice these prompts right now! John Muir Laws leads you through them in this video:

Here’s the breakdown of what Laws says, starting with our first prompt:

“I notice …”

This prompt invites us to take a closer look at our subject. Laws encourages us to say our observations out loud. Look at your subject from multiple angles and consider its shape, structure, color, texture, smell and sounds, take note of any damaged parts or behavior. You can also consider the other living things (or otherwise) in your subject’s environment.

If you feel stuck, just keep saying “I notice” out loud and the observations will come.

Now let’s move on to our second nature journaling prompt:

“I wonder …”

This prompts gets us more curious about whatever it is that we’re looking at and start asking questions like:

• Who, what, where, when, how, why?

• Why is it like this?

• How does it work?

• how or why is it changing?

• How is it connected to other things?

• Are there patterns here?

Sometimes these “I wonder” questions will come easily. Sometimes you’ll have to give them some encouragement; “Who, what, where, when, how, why?” are great questions to keep in your back pocket.

As Laws explains, our first questions are often not the most interesting ones. But you have to ask those questions first to get to the more intriguing ones that follow.

The purpose of the “I wonder” prompt isn’t necessarily to answer our questions, but to shift our mindset to a more expansive one of curiosity. So you may be observing a Northern Cardinal, a common bird in Chicago that is easy to ID. “I wonder” encourages us to go beyond the ID and give that cardinal greater attention, which may yield unexpected rewards.

And now on to our third and final nature essential journaling prompt:

“It reminds me of …”

With this prompt, we make connections between whatever it is we’re observing and other things we have seen, experienced or learned.

As Laws explains, embedded in your “It reminds me ofs” are compelling ideas and connections between your subject and other things we have seen or experienced. This prompts us to ask more questions and make more observations.

No connection is too obvious or too frivolous — let your mind roam freely!

So now that we’ve established how we can get into the mindset of nature journaling, let’s consider the tools we have to transfer the observations we’ve made and document them on our nature journal pages.

For this, we have three languages, if you will, that we can use in combination with one another to communicate and document our observations. These three languages are words, pictures and numbers, to be used in whatever way suits you.

Once again, I’ll be summarizing the teachings of John Muir Laws, who gives an overview of these nature journaling languages in the video above.

Our first nature journaling language is that of written words.

As Laws explains, using words in our journal allows us to be very specific and hone in on any details we may wish to record. They can describe our questions and any explanations we may have, which might be difficult to illustrate in a picture.

And that leads us to our second language, which is that of pictures or illustrations.

As Laws explains, “When we're putting pictures and drawings in our journal, the way our brain works is fundamentally different from the way it works when we're just writing with words.”

Pictures are not better than words, or vice versa, “but they exercise different parts of our brains. When we're intentionally using words and we're intentionally using pictures in our journal, we have more of our brain to play with for whatever it is that we're observing.”

The purpose of using pictures in our nature journal is not to make a pretty picture, though you may end up with one. The goal here is for our pictures to be useful, to serve as a visual strategy to describe our subject.

Pictures can include a map, a simplified diagram, a visualization of a bird’s song, or a portrait of a flower. Pictures can be zoomed in or zoomed out, show the subject from multiple angles.

If making a picture sounds intimidating to you, consider starting with something relatively two-dimensional like a leaf that you can trace.

And now on to our third and last nature journaling language, which is numbers.

As Laws explains, “If we start counting, measuring, timing and finding numbers in the phenomena we observe, this trains us to be really specific in another kind of way.”

A really easy way of getting some numbers onto your page is to make a note of the date and time at the top of your page, and if you’re journaling outdoors, the temperature. More ways to incorporate numbers onto your page would be to count the number of chambers in a seed pod, for example, or estimate the number of seeds contained in one of the chambers; it could be the number of petals on a flower; the number of house sparrows gathered at your feeder; the number of seconds a chickadee stays on your feeder before flying off; the number of seconds a merganser stays under water before resurfacing.

Using these three languages in combination with the “I notice, I wonder, This reminds me of” prompts are a powerful way to look at the observe, document what you find and make new and exciting connections.

Am I doing it right?

If you have a moment of doubt, remember that you’re not doing it wrong. You’re doing it your way.

I was once told that the only way to do field sketching wrong is to not do it at all. The same applies to nature journaling.

We live in a culture that asks us to optimize everything. We’re expected to master everything we do; we’re repeatedly given the message that we should only do something unless we can excel at it, be the best at it, or make money from it. Nature journaling is the antithesis of and an antidote to this social messaging that discourages personal growth.

Nature journaling is a deeply personal practice. You don’t have to share your pages with anyone, though this can be rewarding in a supportive community of other nature journalists.

Looking at other people’s nature journal pages on social media can be discouraging. Try to stay focused on your own journey and avoid comparing what you do with what other people do, unless you want to learn from their technique, method of observation, or what kind of tools they use.

There are plenty of generous nature journalists out there who use their platforms to share their techniques and experiences with the aim of getting other people excited about nature journaling (it’s a practice that encourages generosity). For more on this, see “Where can I learn more?” below.

What gear should I use?

You can start nature journaling with what you already have. Your nature journal kit can be as simple as a composition notebook and a ballpoint pen.

My current nature journaling kit includes a Stillman & Birn Epsilon series wire-bound sketchbook (I have a smaller hardcover one too). I like these because they work well with pen and ink and can handle a light wash. Someone who uses watercolor might like a different type of paper, and someone who just uses a ballpoint pen won’t necessarily need such a high-quality paper. Whatever you end up using, I recommend using something with a stiff cover. Having a bulldog clip or two in your nature journaling kit is handy to keep your pages in place if you’re journaling in a windy environment.

As for writing and drawing implements, I’ve been keeping it simple (by my maximalist standards, at least) and usually just carry a pen with walnut-colored ink, another pen with gray ink (I have been using inexpensive Platinum Preppy fountain pens; when you use up the ink cartridge the pen comes with, you can use a syringe to fill it with any bottled ink you like). I also typically have in my kit couple of inexpensive water-soluble pens that you can get at an office supply store. I also like really fine-lined Micron pens, in brown and black ink.

Another essential tool in my kit is a waterbrush. This is a nylon-bristled brush with a built-in water reservoir. It’s tidy and extremely handy for doing washes in my journal.

In the wintertime, when it’s really cold and I therefore work fast in my journal, I pretty much just use pen and ink. But when conditions allow for more time outside, I might include in my kit a limited palette of Faber-Castell watercolor pencils (not so inexpensive). I like botanical artist Wendy Hollender’s 13-color palette. I’ll often carry the same palette of Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils. A white plastic eraser and pencil sharpener are good to have if you’re using pencils in the field.

I always have a T-shirt rag in my bag in case I need to lift a wash or need to blot something.

I also typically have a small ruler, a hand lens and these compact and very lightweight binoculars that are great for examining something up close and for seeing things far away.

I carry all of this in a Tom Bihn Maker’s Bag. These are not cheap. You really don’t need a fancy bag to nature journal. I got this one because of the quality of manufacturing and because it can hold all my nature journaling stuff plus my coffee thermos or a water bottle and a field guide. I don’t have a car and get everywhere by public transit or bicycle, so I need to be able to carry everything on me when I’m out in the field. My one gripe about this bag is that it’s kind of a struggle to get my 9x12 sketchbook in and out of the full bag. I wish it had a big outside pocket on the back to make it easy to grab my sketchbook and put it back when I’m in the field. I do recommend a shoulder or messenger-style bag versus a backpack, because the easier it is to grab your journal, the more likely you are to use it.

Where can I learn more?

Here are some of the resources I’ve consulted along the way during my nature journaling journey:

Books:

Nature Drawing by Clare Walker Leslie

The Art of Field Sketching by Clare Walker Leslie

The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir Laws

How to Teach Nature Journaling by John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren

Artist’s Journal Workshop by Cathy Johnson

Botany for the Artist by Sarah Simblet

Botanical Drawing in Color by Wendy Hollender

Websites:

John Muir Laws

Marley Peifer (I’ve especially appreciated his YouTube videos, some of which include interviews with nature journalists)

Lara Call Gastinger

Julia Bausenhardt (she also has several classes on Skillshare)

Bethan Burton’s Journaling with Nature

Podcasts:

The Journaling with Nature podcast hosted by Bethan Burton. Each episode features a long-form interview with a different nature journalist. Each episode is a calming breath of fresh air.

Classes:

I’ve also taken several classes in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Botanical Arts certificate program, all of which were excellent. If you’re able to take any of those classes, I’d highly recommend them.

november 2020

The cold weather set in and coronavirus cases surged in my area this month. So I pretty much stuck close to home.

But hyper-local nature observation brings its own rewards, whether it be seeing the same individual coyotes during consecutive visits to the nearby cemetery, or just being surprised by a white nuthatch popping up on the Norway maple tree as I sit on my windowsill drawing chickadees and house sparrows.

Nature journaling sets one up to receive such surprises.

While sketching a flock of Canada geese at a nearby harbor, I noticed that one of the birds had a swollen chest. I wouldn’t have noticed this if I just looked at the flock as a single unit and moved on. By sitting on the ground, and observing each individual bird through the act of drawing, I noticed something was very different about this bird (googling it later, I think this goose had a ruptured air sac).

In many ways, nature journaling is so much more than what ends up on the page.

It’s been a way to get out of my own head and has helped calm my anxiety amidst the uncertainty of the national election and the dread of going into a COVID winter. It’s kept me connected to something much greater than myself during a period of stricter isolation. And it’s just a pleasure that any of us can draw upon, wherever we may be, at any time.

october 2020

september 2020

My nature journaling practice really took off in September! It helped that we had a botany unit during the Master Naturalist training, which gave me the opportunity to get back to diagramming plants. We had a dichotomous key workshop taught by the steward of one of the forest preserves where I volunteer. She explained that keying plants out in the field makes you a scientific observer of plants. The same applies to nature journaling, as it combines the elements of written words, numbers and visual illustration to deepen your observation of your subject.

As for the materials I worked with during the month, I continued with my naturalist’s notebook until I switched over to a Stillman & Birn Epsilon Series sketchbook that I really like — it’s a dream for pen and ink and colored pencil and can handle a wash.

Some nature journaling resources I appreciated in September:

Marley Peifer’s YouTube channel

Journaling With Nature podcast with Bethan Burton

John Muir Laws’ store — I am really digging my recently purchased Pentax Patilio II binoculars, which are proving a great nature journaling tool (and far easier on my neck than my regular bins)

Artist’s Journal Workshop by Cathy Johnson — I bought a used copy online and she’s generously offering material from her books for free online

august 2020

In August I began the Illinois Master Naturalist training program. Our first interpretive hike was at Thatcher Woods in River Forest and we were given a notebook to use during our training, so I began using that for my nature journaling and field sketching. I’ve been enjoying the two-page spread format and might stick with that for a while.

I also roamed further than I have in months and went out to the Indiana Dunes National Park for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. I also visited Powderhorn Marsh and Prairie Preserve on the far south side of Chicagoland for the first time, and that was a real treat.

I’ve been practicing slower and deeper observations of more-than-human life lately. I really loved this interview with “slow birding” advocate Bridget Butler on the excellent American Birding Association podcast. Instead of doing a longer-distance bird walk, I’ve just been sitting in one spot for a long time. As Bridget explains in the interview, after around 20 minutes or so, you become integrated into the environment and the birds and other wildlife become relaxed about your presence. This allows you to observe behavior that you wouldn’t have if you were keeping things moving.

I’ve been doing “sit spot” birding at parks and in the forest preserves, and just sitting still and observing for long periods of time more generally. I’m finding that it allows me to appreciate relationships and interactions between different species. Nature journaling, which requires you to slow down and really take notice, also facilitates this. When I’m sketching a plant in the field, various insects will come to browse it. There’s a lot of knowledge to be gained by just sitting still and being present will all your senses as you commune with the astounding diversity of life with which we share this planet.