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By Christina Grand Porter
E
April 15, 2015
Keeping a Seasons Journal
ach year as spring arises, so do the same questions. Were the redwing blackbirds here by this time last year? Isn’t it too early for the tulips to be starting? Is this month unseasonably warm or cold? Shouldn’t the lilacs be blooming by now? Because the seasons here are certainly not marked by the dates on the calendar, the answers to all those questions can be at your fingertips if you keep a seasons journal. Also known as a naturalist’s notebook, seasons journals help us connect with nature because it forces us to notice what’s happening outside our windows. It also helps us to refocus and live in the moment, which is something the happiest people among us do regularly. A journal gives the opportunity to observe, reflect, draw, paint and be inspired; to “bloom where you are planted.” Just hearing the word journal sends a lot of people into a panic, but there’s no need to be a creative writer or even use full sentences. You can think of the seasons journal as a means of recording only dates and events purely for one’s own reference, in which case a pocket-sized notebook will work and a new one can be used each year. But if you plan to add more details and records, opt for a more elaborate book that will cover
many years. Because our seasons are so extreme, it’s fun to look back and compare one year to the next. When in the weather doldrums, it helps to glance back and realize the drizzly day isn’t so bad when last year the same date saw a blizzard. And don’t forget to make special notes about the weather during annual festivals and other events. A journal is especially fun for birdwatchers who can record the comings, goings and head counts of certain species. Now and then, one is rewarded with a rare bird landing at their feeder or bird habitat, such as a bright blue indigo bunting, an oriole or an egret. There are years the feeders are full of a certain species and the next, there can be hardly any. Especially fun to note are the amount of hatchlings the bird parents bring to the feeders once they’re getting around on their own. For gardeners, keeping notes on successes and failures is a big help. It can be easy to forget, after a long winter, exactly what was planted where, so a seasons journal can even include a plot map of a garden. And by putting it in a journal, it will assure you will be able to find the information you need when you need it. There will be even more to observe and note if you raise chickens or livestock. A fall record can be kept of the brightest leaf colors and when the trees became completely bare. Watching and recording the behaviors of deer and squirrels can make a game out of predicting the upcoming winter. Including photos in a seasons journal is a
wonderful touch. Pictures of mounds of snow, vivid red and golden leaves and beautifully blooming crocus add another dimension to the record. Anyone who had a seasons journal last year that included photos are bound to have a few of the snow rollers we saw last winter; as rare as they are, it’s possible some of us will never again see that phenomena, so they were worthy of recording. Don’t think of a seasons journal as a test of your writing expertise and don’t think of it as something you’re forced to do once you start. It’s simply a jotting of a few simple elements from year to year that helps us remember the days of our lives. This journal is meant to be private, so there should be no worries about content such as artistic or writing ability, but a journal becomes even more precious when shared with others or passed down in the family. Plus, it’s a lot of fun when someone wonders about the course of nature past and you can open your journal, give them the answer just like that, and become the local go-to expert.
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