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This Quiet Hobby Will Rewire Your Brain
Plus a kit list, Madison Nature Journal Club, and a Morton art exhibit.
Ken Welch
November 06, 2025
The Practice of Nature Journaling:
I was twirling a Liatris flower stalk between my fingers when its dry scaled flower buds brushed against my skin. I sketched the Gayfeather and took dutiful notes in my nature journal. Halfway through drawing the dried Liatris is when I spotted him. Near the top of the flower stalk in a miniscule cocoon of a web, was a small brown spider. I’d been holding this stem covered in whorled leaves and making notes of it in my journal for a good 10 minutes and with every twirl unknowingly sending the spider careening violently through space and holding on for dear life.
I held the stalk in complete awe that I had missed a spider living on the subject in my hands. I don’t think he was hurt until he caught a glimpse of my child-like drawing and winced in pain. His eight eyes were full of judgement and if spiders could talk, he’d surely say something like, “You really have no business flinging me about for that mediocre sketch. Plus, aren’t you a bit old to be learning to draw?” The little spider certainly had a point, but it did not know that nature journaling isn't about making pretty pictures. It is instead a way to learn by drawing. So, I drew a little label next to him on my page and wrote the words “little 6-legged bitch” and moved on to a different spot to sketch in my garden.
With permission to be terrible at art, a pen, and a notebook, I stumbled into learning how to keep a nature journal. If it weren't for sitting down to draw and observe a flower from my garden, then I never would have noticed that little art critic hiding in his web of lies. Despite the bad review from the spider, I did find the practice of nature journaling to be surprisingly therapeutic. It rewired my brain, much like a meditation session or long walk does. The rest of this newsletter is an invitation for you to join me in learning to keep a nature journal and a permission slip to make ugly drawings of beautiful things.
The Basics:
Nature journaling uses a few basic components to reacquaint yourself with a sense of childlike wonder. You will be using words to describe what you see, while drawing pictures of your subject, and using numbers to record information about your subject. You will want to jot down what you notice with all of your senses, and what you wonder about your subject. Journaling sessions can go by quickly, so if you sit down for 30 minutes, expect it to feel like three. Remember that the goal is not to make a pretty picture, and as John Muir Laws says, “this isn't a drawing; it's a diagram."
Where to Journal:
You can journal from your very own garden as a way to appreciate the life in it. You can also journal from public parks, conservatories, in front of a window, or at a desk with a houseplant. You can journal from the bus about the mold in the corner. I’d also encourage you to take some trips to a local nature reserve and get some “pencil miles” in with your notebook and pen.
Tools:
Required:
Optional:
Journaling Prompts:
Nature journaling, much like writing, is easier with prompts. So, here are a few prompts to get you started. The first two were learned during my nature journaling class, but the rest were all cooked up by me.
Zoom in, Zoom Out: Draw and diagram an object at three scales: show some portion at life size, magnify an interesting detail, and zoom out to get the big-picture view.
Something on the Ground: Find something on the ground and spend 20 minutes making observations about a single object you can pick up.
As Ugly As Possible: Find an animal and draw it as ugly as possible. Draw an animal that only its mother could love. Resist the urge to show off what a good artist you are and make a truly depraved piece of art. Gift this to someone and tell them it reminded you of them.
What’s New: Go for a walk and try to notice something new. A fern unfurling a frond, or perhaps a migratory bird is passing through. What changes can you notice?
Letter to a Friend: Go into your garden or a local park and write a letter to an old friend describing everything about what you observe. Include the weather, time, dates, and everything you notice. Add in any unresolved issue you need to say to them while you are at it. Tear this from your journal and throw it in the compost pile.
Ken’s Weekend Almanac
Last call to plant bulbs and I’m doing just that. I’ve got a moonlight mix of white flowers from Olbrich Botanic Gardens to plant in my front yard.
Create a leaf habitat pile by creating a pile of leaves in your yard, perhaps behind a shrub, to help overwintering insects. Or your could leave the leaves over your whole yard, which is my preferred method.
Bring in pots and tools before it gets too cold. Clean out your pots and store them upside down. Clean the tools as well so they last longer.
Plotter’s Commons:
Do you think you will try nature journaling? The images today were provided by the Madison Nature Journal Club led by Amy Schleser. Click on the images to join their Facebook group if you are in the area.
Community Board
Watch: This introduction on how to start a nature journal.
Event: Autumn Art Exhibit, Morton Arboretum, November 7-9, 2025 (open each day 10 a.m.–4 p.m.)
Written for 150 beautiful readers. 💌
This newsletter grows best by word of mouth. Forward The Plot to your friend who is always in the garden!
Until next Thursday,
Ken Welch
Ken Welch is a horticulturist and research professional at UW–Madison. He’s drawn to native ecosystems, community gardens, and helping others grow confidence in their craft.
