Last month I went to a daylong Introduction to Nature Journaling workshop led by Roseann Beggy Hanson of Exploring Overland and hosted at the Amerind Museum. I knew nothing about nature journaling ahead of the class. It just sounded like something that might complement my own personal journaling and the House Journal I've been keeping since we moved into the new house in February 2023.
In my House Journal I record seasonal observations from Dalrymple Ranch, as my girlfriend Sydney calls our place. Since I walk the pups 2-3 times a day, I notice when a type of wildlfower first appears or when a particular cactus blooms. I also try to note when we have snow or a big rain storm. And while I don't do it as regularly, I do record some wildlife observations too.
Thanks to keeping my journal last year I learned that there is an order
in which our cacti tend to bloom. Hedgehogs bloom before the prickly pear. Cholla bloom after the prickly pear have started and then barrel cactus are last. I can tell you that our first cholla bloom arrived three days earlier this year than last year. While the first prickly pear blossom arrived a week earlier this year. We
had snow last year in early March so I wonder if that slowed the prickly pear down a bit last year. We also had a wet winter this year and I wonder if our poppy fields benefited. I sure think so. Asking question and being curous is an important aspect of nature journaling.
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2024 Poppies
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Hedgehog Cactus - the biggest one I found this year
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Prickly Pear Blossoms
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| Cholla |
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Ball Cactus
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Nature Journaling is intended to deepen your understanding of nature through observation and recording. To not just look at something but to really see it.
"To see a wren in a bush, call it "wren," and go on walking is to have (self-importantly) seen nothing. To see a bird and stop, watch, feel, forget yourself for a moment, be in the bushy shadows, maybe then feel "wren" -- that is to have joined in a larger moment with the world." - Gary Snyder, Language Goes Two Ways (as quoted in Roseann's workbook)
The questions Roseann introduced in the workshop are taught by John Muir Laws: I see. I wonder. It reminds me of. I also learned a new word in the class: phenology. It turns out phenology is the study of seasonal changes in plants and animals from year to year. It turns out I've been into phenology for a long time and never knew there was a word for it. I got a lot of pleasure out of adding "Phenology Curious' to my Instagram bio, hoping it might make a few people look up the word.
The workshop exceeded my expectations. The
aspect of Nature Journaling that will be new to me is the artistic
element. I appreciate that while there are many incredibly talented
nature journalists out there, including my instructor Roseann and John
Muri Laws, the emphasis is not on creating something to be
beautiful. It's about drawing to learn. In the workshop she had us
practice giving praise without saying something was beautiful.
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Laws book from the library, the House Journal, and my workbook
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My practice journal page done during the workshop
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Two weeks ago we discovered that a Say's Phoebe pair had built a nest on our front porch. I noticed yesterday the birds were acting differently and appeared to be feeding. I confirmed today that we've got hatchlings. I didn't know the stages of a bird's life so I looked
it up. The first stage is hatchling, followed by nestling, and then
fledgling. The process takes about 2 weeks.
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May 5
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Taken May 19 - noticed mom appeared to be feeding
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19 May
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The baby birds are the latest nature observation bringing me a lot of joy right now. I'm really looking forward to exploring Nature Journaling more and I encourage you to check out Roseann and John's websites if this sounds like something you'd be interested in too.
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