Life and relationships

40 Nature Journal Prompts

These nature journal prompts are for anyone who likes being outside, or wants to be outside more, and would like to slow down long enough to notice what is there. You don't need a garden, a trail or a field guide. A window, a street tree and a patch of sky are plenty.

Writing about the outdoors can help you pay closer attention to small things: the color of the sky at dusk, the bird that visits every morning, the way your usual walk changes from spring to fall. Some prompts stay in the present moment. Others ask you to remember the places that shaped you and think about what the natural world means in your life.

Come to these pages with curiosity rather than a goal. There is no right way to describe a cloud. Write what you see, hear and smell, in your own words, and let the page be a record of the days you looked up.

All 40 prompts

Each prompt is marked quick (2 to 5 minutes), reflective (about 10 minutes) or deep (20 minutes or more).

  1. Name three sounds you can hear from outdoors right now. Which one took you longest to notice? quick

  2. What color is the sky today? Try to find a more exact word than blue or gray. quick

  3. Describe one plant you pass every day but rarely stop to look at. quick

  4. Which bird have you seen or heard most often this week, and what was it doing? quick

  5. What did the air smell like the last time you stepped outside? quick

  6. Write about a tree you can see from where you live or work. What shape is it in this season? quick

  7. Pick up one leaf, stone or shell and describe it as if no one had ever seen one before. quick

  8. Where is the daylight coming from as you write, and what is it touching? quick

  9. Which kind of weather makes you want to go outside, and which kind keeps you in? quick

  10. What small sign of the current season did you notice today? quick

  11. What was the sky like at the end of today? quick

  12. What creature, however small, crossed your path today? quick

  13. Sit by a window or step outside for five minutes. Then write down everything you noticed, in the order you noticed it. reflective

  14. Describe a walk you take often. What changes along the route from one season to the next? reflective

  15. Think of a time the weather changed your plans. What happened instead, and how did you feel about it? reflective

  16. If you could spend an hour anywhere outdoors near your home this weekend, where would you go and what would you do? reflective

  17. What is growing near you that you would like to watch over the next month? What do you expect to see? reflective

  18. Write about the first time you remember being outside after dark and really noticing the night. reflective

  19. Which season feels most like you right now, and why? reflective

  20. Describe a storm you remember well. Where were you, and who was with you? reflective

  21. What outdoor chore do you actually enjoy, like watering plants, raking leaves or sweeping a step? What do you like about it? reflective

  22. Write about an outdoor place where you feel calm. What exactly is there that helps you settle? reflective

  23. What did you love to do outside as a child? Do you still do any of it? reflective

  24. What does a child in your life notice outdoors that you tend to walk right past? reflective

  25. How does the length of the days right now affect your mood and energy? reflective

  26. Write about an animal you have watched for a while, wild or not. What did you learn from watching it? reflective

  27. Describe the landscape you grew up in. How did it shape what feels like home to you now? deep

  28. Is there an outdoor place that has changed or disappeared since you first knew it? Write about what it was then and what it is now. deep

  29. Write a letter to an outdoor place that has mattered to you. What would you thank it for? deep

  30. Think back to a hard stretch of your life. What was the weather or landscape like then, and what do you remember about it now? deep

  31. What does being outside give you that being indoors does not? Be as specific as you can. deep

  32. Imagine one tree or patch of ground near you through a full year. What would each season of its year look and sound like? deep

  33. Where have you felt small outdoors, in a good way or a hard way? Write about one time you felt that. deep

  34. What habits keep you indoors more than you would like? What would one small change look like this week? deep

  35. Write about someone who taught you to notice something in nature, such as birds, clouds or plants. What did they pass on to you? deep

  36. Describe the outdoor place you would most like to return to one day. What do you hope has stayed the same? deep

  37. How has your relationship with the outdoors changed as you have gotten older? deep

  38. If you could teach a younger person one thing about paying attention to the natural world, what would it be and why? deep

  39. What part of the natural world do you most want to care for, and what is one thing you could do this year to show that care? deep

How to use these prompts

Start with a quick prompt near the top of the list if you only have a few minutes, and save the deeper ones at the bottom for a slower day. A morning prompt pairs well with your first look out the window, and an evening prompt works well after a walk or at the end of the day. Write for about five minutes for a short prompt and twenty or more for a deep one, either outdoors or right after you come in, while the details are still fresh. If you feel stuck, stop trying to describe the whole scene. Pick one thing, like a single leaf, a sound or the feel of the air, and write only about that. A quick sketch or a list of words is a fine place to begin too.

Questions

Do I need to know the names of plants and birds to keep a nature journal?

No. Describe what you see in your own words, such as the size, color, sound or shape, and you can look up names later if you want to. Many people find they notice more when they are not rushing to label things.

Can I use these prompts if I live in a city?

Yes. Cities have weather, sky, street trees, weeds in sidewalk cracks, pigeons and changing light. Every prompt here works with whatever natural world is near you, even if it is a single potted plant.

Should I write outdoors or wait until I get home?

Either works. Writing outside lets you capture details as they happen, while writing afterward helps you notice what stayed with you. Try both and see which you prefer.

Is it okay to draw instead of write?

Of course. Quick sketches, pressed leaves, maps of a favorite walk and lists of colors all belong in a nature journal. You can add a few words beside a drawing or let the picture stand on its own.