I love to hike, but sometimes it’s just too hot and humid to move.
One way to practice nature observation skills is to choose a patch of lawn, forest floor, or even the trunk of a tree in deep woods, and study it closely. The list of what you need is short. There’s no end to what you might observe, but I’ve listed a few things you might look for while exploring the natural world. This technique works just fine if you have access to other habitats including wetlands, tide pools, gardens and transition areas.
This is a really good activity if you have ten minutes or more to explore.
When you focus on the tiniest members of the natural world your perspective changes. It’s one of my favorite ways to beat the heat. It’s also a terrific mini-vacation any time of year.
Materials:
- Magnifying glass
- Water to drink and to moisten your nostrils
- Tape measure or ruler
- Tent pegs, string, or some way to mark your study area
- Notebook and pencil or pen - for drawing and writing
NOTE: I prefer to consult field guides when I return home. Drawing has taught me to be a better observer.
Procedure:
1. Visit an area a few times before choosing a one-foot square section. Think about the time of day you’ll be there.
2. Measure your study area and mark the corners. Fence with string if you like.
3. Plan to spend a minimum of ten minutes using your five senses.
4. Sit (or lie on your stomach, if you’re studying a lawn). Study every plant and animal you see.
5. Make notes and draw what you see; you don’t need to know what it is.
6. Copy the list of plants and animals you might see for the habitat you will visit.
7. Add what you see that may not be on the list, like migrating or hibernating animals and seasonal plants.
Animals:
- Grasshopper
- Crab spider
- Ladybug beetle
- Painted lady caterpillar or butterfly
- Monarch caterpillar or butterfly
- Milkweed bug
- Spittlebug
- Honeybee
- Daddy longlegs
- Ant - honey ant, carpenter ant,
- Mouse - house mouse , field mouse
- Vole
- Garter snake
- Cicada
- Praying mantis
- Jumping spider
- Lacewing
- Firefly
- Green tree frog
- Chipmunk
- Hermit Thrush
- Millipede
- Luna moth
- Wood nymph butterfly
Plants:
- Buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides), and red fescue (Festuca rubra) are native to North America
- Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) and Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) are commonly planted
- Clover - leaves or flowers
- Dandelion - leaves or flowers
- Violet - leaves or flowers
- Chickweed - leaves or flowers
- Purslane
- Trout lily
- Sweet fern
- Saplings - oak, maple, tulip tree, pine tree
- Acorns
- Leaf litter, pine needles
- Rose hips
- Lichens
I already have a place where I can count on shade and maybe a breeze, so I’ll have some relief from the predicted heat wave. I’m still aiming for first light and sunset as the best time to become absorbed in the beauty of the season.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE:
At the risk of being redundant, this activity is about using your five senses to discover the shapes, smells, sounds, textures and your own responses to your experiences, rather than an exercise in nature identification. Identification of plants, birds, animals, reptiles and insects is easy enough to access when not in the field.
