Introduction Webinar Recording

Nature Journaling Resources

Visit our events page for more details on Nature Journaling and inspiration photos.

Suggested Books about Journaling:

  • Field Notes on Science & Nature by Michael R. Canfield, Edward O. Wilson, George B. Schaller (ISBN 0674057570)
  • In season: A Natural History of the New England Year by Nona Bell Estrin and Charles Johnson (ISBN 158465127X)
  • The Naturalist’s Notebook: An Observation Guide and 5-Year Calendar-Journal for Tracking Changes in the Natural World around You By Nathaniel Wheelright and Bernd Heinrich (ISBN 1612128890)
  • The Beginning Naturalist: Weekly Encounters With the Natural World by Gale Lawrence (ISBN 093305002X)

Citizen Science and Identification Websites and Apps:

  • Post observations of living things and a community of naturalists will help narrow down on an ID with the iNaturalist website or app. (https://www.inaturalist.org/)
  • Use your camera to get estimated IDs of living things with the Seek App, powered by the data collected through iNaturalist. (https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app)
  • Use the Merlin App on your phone to identify birds by photo, sound, or by answering some simple questions. (https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/)
  • Experienced birders post their bird lists on E-Bird, and you can use the website to filter data and see who birders are paying attention to near you. (https://ebird.org/home)
  • The Pl@ntNet app helps you identify plants with photos taken in the field, though it requires internet service to work, so it is not suitable for remote locations. (https://plantnet.org/en/)

Suggested Nature Journaling Websites

Week One: Food theme

Prompts:

  • Phenology: Note first signs of animals emerging from hibernation
  • Study tracks in mud or sticky snow, how many can you identify?
  • Look for 3 things animals are eating right now, who is eating them, can you tell?
  • Look at aspect and snow pack – where does snow hang on late, where does it melt first?
  • Explore the subnivian – can you see where rodents have been traveling under the snow? Where were they going?
  • Find a wet spot – who has visited? How does it compare to the ground around it?
  • Look for animal sign other than tracks: browse, bark, nests, burrows.

Resources:

  • NEWT Wildlands Ecologist Jason Mazurowski’s Phenology Log template in Google Sheets. Make a copy of the sheet to fill in your own information. (File > ‘Make a copy’).
  • Use Mass Wildlife’s Tracking Card for tracking information for some of our most common species.
  • If you want to get really into tracking, grab yourself a copy of Mammal Tracks and Sign of North America by Mark Elbroch and Casey McFarland (ISBN 0811737748).
  • You can find a detailed list of track and sign resources here, compiled by biologist, naturalist, and expert tracker Jonah Evans.

Week Two: Bird Theme

Prompts:

  • Get to know a bird
  • Note signs of thawing/warming
  • Imagine this place three months from now. What will be different?
  • Look up — what evidence of wildlife is above eye level?
  • 15-minute listen, then open writing
  • Write a poem about meltwaters
  • Visit the same place twice in one week. What changed? What didn’t?

Resources:

Week Three: Plant Theme

Prompts:

  • Look for first flowers; draw or describe them
  • Watch for buds expanding on trees and shrubs
  • 15 minute sit-spot, then open writing
  • Draw the same plant three times this week; look for what changes
  • Use the Merlin App to make a morning bird list
  • Write about the weather
  • Journal about what spring things you’re looking forward to

Resources:

  • The book Trees Up Close by Nancy Ross Hugo and Robert Llewellyn (ISBN: 160469582X) has excellent photos of tree flowers. Check your local library for a copy or find it at a local bookstore.
  • This Northern Woodlands article explains why spring ephemerals are so rare in New England.
  • Here is a blog post with a detailed how-to for forcing tree flowers indoors. Though she describes ornamentals, the process is the same for any tree. Personally, I prefer to cut from already broken or fallen branches, but you can also cut straight from the living tree, particularly if your apple tree needs pruning.

Week Four: Insect Theme

Prompts:

  • Look for early pollinators.
  • Find the first spring ephemeral wildflowers.
  • Write a haiku about rain.
  • Note the first frog calls you hear.
  • Find and describe a germinating seed.
  • Choose one spot you can return to this month. Give it a name.
  • Describe your spot without naming any species.

Resources: