NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/946863
MARCH 2018 • NEBRASKAland 33 remember it more vividly, or you were able to come up with some questions about what you were looking at, or were more curious about something you saw, then that journaling experience was successful." A First-hand Account As part of research for this article, I began nature journaling myself. I quickly encountered the truth of what I'd been told: this does take discipline. I resisted making time to do it. Committing to go out with a notebook and doing something that I wasn't used to felt like a waste of time. The first time I journaled, I felt like a fool. I can't tell an oak tree from an elm, but I wanted to emulate the other journals I'd seen in which every plant drawing was confidently labeled. Luckily, I work on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Campus, where the gardeners have seen fit to plant numerous signs in their gardens. I plopped myself on a sidewalk next to a crimson lily and went to work. (Addendum: I told Laws about my strategy later, and he encouraged me to observe things I don't know the names of, as the point of this is seeing what you can learn and observe yourself, not through others.) It was rough. I hadn't drawn in a long time, and I quickly became frustrated. But as I stared at the dying plant, I decided to try Laws' "it reminds me of" tactic, and something lit up in the dark recesses of my brain, the part that spent hours reading English literature for college. I wrote about the lily's "long cane-like stalks standing proudly," with "pale green and grey leaves strewn at its feet like discarded laundry." Discarded laundry. That was interesting, I thought. It felt like writing poetry – something that is terrifying to me – but in that moment, it came perfectly naturally. I didn't know that part of me was still there. The second time I went out, I was more detailed in my journaling, and ended up making a memory. Looking at the page now, the day comes back to me in vivid detail: the lawns of East Campus painted with long shadow and golden light, the wind sighing through the leaves, boys chasing each other between the trees. I visited a bright yellow shantung maple, one of the few trees still holding color on that mid- November day, and studied it, drawing its pointed leaves and admiring an expertly constructed nest. I went back to my desk and Googled shantung maples, spending a good half hour reading about their characteristics and why the leaves look the way they do. I can't say that the structure of maple leaves was something I ever thought I'd find interesting, but it happened. It was definitely a new experience. The third time I went out, I noticed a change in my body. "I feel my heartbeat slow. Stress dissolving," I wrote. It was a good feeling, worth going after again. I'm going to try to keep journaling. It's not a habit, not yet, so I expect to still feel some discomfort. But I want to see that shantung maple's yellow flowers in the spring. I want to learn the difference between an oak and an elm. I want to pick up on the nuances of the seasons as they cycle through and really see what's going on around me. Most importantly, I want to reconnect with the 8-year-old me who couldn't go a day without playing outside, who lost that love for the outdoors as she grew up. I know it's still there. In the pages of this journal, I see it slowly coming back. Helpful books on nature journaling include Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth, and The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir Laws. Educators interested in using nature journaling in the classroom can find a comprehensive curriculum, "Opening the World through Journaling: Integrating art, science, and language arts," at johnmuirlaws.com. Naturalists at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission periodically hold nature journaling workshops. Contact Alison Bleich of Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area (alison.bleich@nebraska.gov), Bobbi Holm of Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area (bobbi.holm@nebraska.gov), or Holly Green of Fort Kearny State Recreation Area (holly.green@nebraska.gov) to find out about upcoming workshops in your area. This page from the author's nature journal demonstrates a surprising effect: leaves that you tape in will not necessarily retain their color. COUR COUR COURTESY TESY TESY OF OF OF RENA RENA RENA RENAE BL E BL E BL E BLUM UM UM UM RENAE BLUM