Bex Hall

Bex Hall > nature journal

nature journal

Nature has its own time table

I let September slide by without creating in my nature journal

Yellowstone photo by Bex Hall

Here it is, one week into October and I didn’t draw or paint anything in my nature journal for September. I kept up with the daily temps and weather on the phenology wheel, but paint never touched the page.

September 2021 Phenology Wheel

I made note of a few things I noticed during the previous month. The box turtle Ellie found, the woolly worms, and the occasional colorful leaf on the ground.

But I had zero desire or interest in drawing or painting any of it.

I’ve been creating in the journal for eight consecutive months. I’ve enjoyed it and am pleased with the results. So why this month? Why now? Where and what is this resistance?

When I was a kid, school started after Labor Day, in September. Retailers bombarded the airwaves and newspapers with ads full of fall fashions. Sweaters, boots, scarves, hats. And in August, we would buy these things.

And on the first day of school, we would show up in our new cool weather clothing, only to shed most of it by noon and wear our disappointment the rest of the day instead.

Summer was over, the pools closed, stuck indoors without air conditioning, yet the heat remained, taunting us with memories of loose clothing, bare feet, and being outdoors. September seemed to be the longest month. Waiting for everything. The bell to ring, the leaves to turn, the cooler weather.

When I finished August’s journal and narrative on the 30th, I think I reverted to that place of expectancy I carried in my youth. 

Days passed and everything still looked the same as August. The trees all still green. The air still muggy. Gnats and flies and mosquitos, still bugging me. Grass still growing tall.

Why was I letting this disappointment derail me from the joy I feel when I draw and paint and write? I expected things to change so September wouldn’t be a twin to August on the page. And they didn’t. So I didn’t.

Last month was a reminder to keep expectations real and to look for the little things that ARE different. That HAVE changed. To notice and to create without expectation. To enjoy the process and appreciate the transition.

It’ll get done when it gets done. 😊

Gretal Erlich’s Solace quote

August is the Sunday of Summer

August Phenology Wheel 2021

August is the Sunday of Summer. And like a Sunday, we enjoy the vestiges of a rhythm we have become comfortable. August brings changes all around us, if you look.

The once majestic sunflowers hang their heads, tired. The verdant hillsides are suffused with a dullness. Morning birdsong comes later than usual. Queen Anne has traded her white lace for fields of purple ironweed and feathery goldenrod.

Hummingbirds are scarce, woolly bear caterpillars are on the march, and foggy mornings are frequent.

Cain and Mabel

August gave us a grand show, though. The morning glory blossoms were at their deepest velvet. Electric pink milk thistle appeared in fields. Pokeweed berries ripened to the color of burgundy wine. Orange jewelweed dotted the landscape.

August nature journal
Full Sturgeon Moon

The air still wraps itself around us like a steamy wet blanket, but soon we’ll use a real one to ward off the chill. Windows will reopen and curtains will billow with cool breezes. Bedtime stories will come earlier and car headlights once again necessary for the morning commute.

American Goldfinch on spent coneflower

When the sun shines in a September blue sky, it will illuminate mountains sprinkled with multicolored confetti against a backdrop of windswept white clouds. There will be hints of pepper and sassafras in the air. Squirrel’s nests will appear among the treetops, their height perhaps an indicator of the level of snow we might expect in winter.

Banded Tussock Moth and caterpillar

I heard cicadas for the first time this summer on Saturday the 21st. According to folklore, six weeks from then will be our first frost here. I’ve marked the calendar for October 2nd, just to see.

August, the Sunday of Summer

There’s only a little while longer for short sleeves and flip-flops. Butterflies, bumblebees, and trees thick with leaves. For this Sunday of summer, I relish the remnants of this relaxed time before I turn the page and begin anew. 

The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last forever. Even on the most beautiful days in the whole year – the days when summer is changing into autumn – the crickets spread the rumour of sadness and change.”

E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web
August 2021 nature journal

Nature folklore and weather predictions

Old wive’s tales have some elements of truth

This past Saturday (21st), I heard the first cicadas in our area. I’ve marked the calendar for October 2nd, six weeks from then, to see if their prediction of a first frost is true.

And today I heard for every foggy morning in August, it will snow that many days this winter. Since I’ve been keeping track with the nature journal and phenology wheel, I’ll check on this next Spring.

Mushrooms

Small things to look forward to. 😊

What natural folklore have you seen come true in your area? Send me an email and let me know.

Foggy morning with Sissy

Goldfinches brighten faded flower garden

Their appearance marks the beginning of the end of summer

Ouch!

“Ow, ouch, ow!”

He seemed to say.

American Goldfinch on coneflower

Every August I notice the American Goldfinches when they visit the spiky seed heads of the coneflowers beside our mailbox. It might be their bright color or it could be their flight call, which sounds like “po-ta-to-chip”, that gets my attention, I’m not sure. 

Whatever it is, the visits of these wild canaries always makes me smile.

Amazing paint you can make right now

From nature’s own Pokeweed, but use caution

Poke berries

NOTE: Pokeweed is considered poisonous and toxic. Use gloves and do not eat. Keep out of the reach of children and pets. Use with caution.

From my nature walk last week, I picked some Pokeweed berries and used the juice to paint the Pokeweed I sketched in my nature journal.

Pokeweed berry paint

If you want to try it yourself, just squish some berries and grab a brush. You can make a batch for later use, according to a recipe I found in the NY Times:

One cup of pokeweed berries, squished and strained into a bowl.

1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. vinegar, stir.

Keep in a glass jar with a screw cap in a cool place.

Makes a beautiful paint or ink. Have fun!