Nature Journaling

On Monday I posted a photo of a Flannel Bush, taken at the Arboretum, and talked about the nature journaling class that I'm taking. Today I finally made time to work on my drawings. It was fun to try to work out the shapes and colors, but I'm not sure I'm cut out for this kind of work. It's awfully fussy. It is, however, a terrific way to learn about anything in detail. Where does this part originate? How does the whole thing fit together? For instance, the apparatus that holds up the seeds is fascinating--the little clusters at the ends of the stamens look like convoluted brains, or babies' curled fists. 

The problem with doing this work is that you are indoors on a beautiful sunny day, staring at a photo on a computer screen of all things. In the olden days you would have brought a specimen home and begun work right away before it faded. But you'd still be inside, and still be focussed on tiny things.

Check out Maria Sibylla Merian, a 17th century naturalist who studied insects in Surinam. Her intricate drawings capture all the stages of an insect's life, plus the plants that support that life. Might as well aim high.