Keep a Nature Log & Bloom Where You're Planted

Nature logs are one more tool you can use to improve your life.

The concept is very simple: go out into nature, observe various flora and fauna, take pictures (or mental pictures), log your experiences in a notebook. Check out my ParkNotes video on nature logs if you missed it:

Now you might be thinking,“okay, Park, but what do you mean by ‘go out into nature’?” Well, I just mean get outside where there are plants and animals and go check them out. What kinds of critters live near you? What do they look like, what subspecies do they belong to? What do they eat? Where do they go in the winter time? When are they most active? What’s their Latin name?

I like the idea of blooming where I’m planted, of really owning the fact that I’m a northern Illinois boy. So, I’m going to figure out what kind of creatures live around me and I want to track their migration patterns, which will also tell me about seasonal changes in my area. It’s super cool to be connected to your place through the nature around you.

Now nature logs, at least in the way I keep them, are a hybrid of a diary and a personal field guide book. A nature log is similar to a diary in that it is a notebook wherein you capture your time-bound experiences:

Today I saw an awesome, thick ole garter snake on my morning walk with the dogs. It was jet black with a pastel yellow line on the entirety of its spine. I was startled at first, as I always am when stumbling upon a snake, and then I was instantly drawn in for a closer inspection. There’s really no better word than ‘slither’ to describe how it moved through the grass, down the shallow bank of the neighborhood slough, and out across the water—halfway submerged—and into the cattails and invasive Australian phragmite reeds. It was such a beautiful moment, a break from the stress of trying to come up with a substack post on keeping a nature log. I said a little prayer to thank God for showing me another cool snake, and took the boys back home.

There’s an example of the diary portion of the nature log which makes it yours. The next portion will be more like a field guide book where you look up the details on the flora and fauna you’ve experienced. Log the info you’ve found and draw yourself a picture of the particular plant or animal experienced.

(I took this picture of a huge green frog in my front yard when I used to have a little pond)

I like to do my drawing and sketching back at home after I’ve got a decent picture of the subject of the entry. This process is cathartic in its own rite. Taking the time to draw an animal or plant that I’ve seen means I’ll need to focus intently in on the picture in view of the memory I have, or both. I’m not thinking about my oil change or the rest of my chore list. I’m lost in the moment. I’ve found this to be an extremely beneficial method for shutting my thoughts off and relaxing. Sure drawing can be frustrating but it’s a completely foreign skill set for me to try and learn and the intense concentration is brings such a relief. Sure, my drawings aren’t very good right now but that’s part of the point. It’s a log of my experiences with nature and a kind of progress bar for my own botanical art progress.

So, I commend this habit to you! Grab a notebook and a go see some herps, birds, fish, plants, bugs—whatever—and start researching them and sketching them. You may find it’s a much-needed break from your regular routine and it may help you reconnect with the nature around you.

For my log, I use a Talen’s Art Creations blank notebook. I don’t know a ton about this brand but my ParkNotes audience has recommended them and I love the thick paper for my sketches and drawings. Grab one from my affiliate link here:  https://amzn.to/3UXV1Cw

If you know me then you know I love leather covers for all of my academic notebooks. But for my nature log I wanted something different since I’m going to have it out in and around swamps. Thankfully, Lochby reached out right when I was in the market for a leather alternative and they sent me this really cool waxed canvas field journal cover. I liked it so much that I became an affiliate so I can promote it and give my audience 10% off! So follow this link https://www.lochby.com/parknotes and use promo code PARKNOTES at checkout for your 10% off.

I love pointing my audience to things that I enjoy, especially when I can give them a discount and I get a finder’s fee. It’s a win-win-win. So grab a notebook and start logging nature today!