Nature Journaling and Field Sketching

This was a fun activity, it led me to look closer at each of these two ornamental non native flowers.  And looked to see how they could be pollinated and wonderedwhat their seeds looked like.

April 12th, 2023, Connecticut. I noticed a little Sanguinaria blooming, and had to sketch it - and then I compared it to another, growing in different corner of the yard. Your prompt questions are super-pertinent to my effort - Balance is the key word. My writing took over the page. Next time I'll try those boxes! and write neatly, and perhaps make my observations more precise. Part of the problem may have stemmed from the fact that when I started the left half of the page, I hadn't chosen a subject for the right half yet (oops) and didn't really have a plan...

I collected a pine cone on my walk today. I planned on getting another one form a different pine tree to compare them. I then realized we only have that type of pine tree in our neighborhood. I decided to improvise, and just use the one pinecone and compare the side view versus the top view since they do look a lot different. The top of the pinecone really had a pretty pattern, but I couldn’t really replicate the swirl of the pattern like the real thing.

I did two comparison studies, one indoors (left) and one outdoors (right).  I need to work on my outdoor sketching.  It seems that the sun and wind moving the objects around made it more difficult for me to focus on drawing.  I feel my outdoor sketch was more of a gesture drawing.  Maybe the idea would be to take a photo of the outdoor items and refine when back indoors.  I was able to take color notes and to make comparisons between the leaves, petals, etc.

It does make me notice more details as in smoothness and stiffness of leaves, which can't be determined in a drawing or you wouldn't notice when looking at one plant at a time.  If a detail is hard to draw then more writing is required.  Dimensions would help if you can't draw each item to scale because of a size difference.

Great project. Really delved into the nitty gritty of anatomy and saw so many things I never noticed before.  I find I am too verbal!  I write too much even though I try to draw in detail,  I need to find a balance.

I was working indoors today (mobility issues) and realized that, despite seeing these house plants daily, there was so much I never really noticed prior to this study! I had never really paid attention to the tiny details, or asked questions about the plants beyond "do they need water," and, "is this good light for them?" I definitely wonder how to balance drawing and recording numerical data- I think the subject matter might aid that, though. Or maybe the questions that arise.

Decided to do a backyard bird feeder comparison of a Dark eyed junko and Black-capped Chickadee.  Two birds that are common at my feeder.  Taking the time to draw each bird helped to bring out differences that I hadn't noticed before.  Feeding strategy, size and even their beak color and structure are a little different.  

This is a very useful strategy for comparing similar species, in particular.  I didn't have the opportunity to see two similar species on the same day, but I would like to now practice this exercise with photos of Scaups and Ring Necked Ducks or American Wigeons and Green Winged Teals for example.  As for balancing drawing, writing, and recording data--I think its about taking the time and creating a habit around the practice.  Sometimes it's easier to draw than to write or collect information, and the other takes more effort.  When I'm rushed or feeling unmotivated, I can rely on a routine.  3,2,1

The weather kept me in.  I drew 2 similar house plants.  I noticed both plants had purple undersides on their leaves.  One had striped, almost heart shaped leaves and the other had long slim leaves that had copious leaf shaped marks.

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The weather kept me indoors so I observed 2 of my house plants.  It was fun to discover the different aspects of these plants I see and care for daily. And a lovely spider dropped by for a visit.  I am trying to play with light and shadow to do more justice to the subjects.

First day this week without rain, so walked up the hill behind my house to a granite plateau that has a moss and lichen bed surrounded by hardwood trees, mostly maple. I sat where I had a good close view of at least two distinct mosses and one lichen, some clumped solo, some patches where two or all three were together. The lichen was identifiable as coral lichen, a pale grey green, very soft in the moist ground but seen elsewhere in Ontario on the Canadian Shield of Georgian Bay. The other two are mosses. When I returned home, I tried to identify from one book I have and found the moss id language a little overwhelming but I believe the one that looked like a lime-green feathery mini flat tree-like form is called a plume moss and the third, either a hair cap moss or a juniper moss. I suspect the former as there are no juniper bushes here. It has swirls of spiky close to bottle green leaves and a bit of a root system. The other two were very shallowly connected to the ground with no discernible roots when a sprig or two were easily removed from the clump. On the way home, I also noticed two other kinds of moss and will sketch them soon. I wonder if these three are indigenous to Ontario only? Or to the Canadian Shield?  I wondered why the lichen and plume moss had such shallow roots that mean that they come off the ground in clumps. Is this a survival mechanism, allowing the patch to be kicked up and resettled on a different shallow bed of humus and rock? [looking forward to learning how to use watercolours, especially when it comes to shading and fine details]

It was lots of fun. We have a lot of trilliums in our woods, red and white, and I wanted to spot differences and similarities between them. I wrote down some questions that I thought of while doing it. 

Cottontree Esplanade Park is alongside the river mouth and has many native trees.  They get lots of salt spray and sea breezes.  I chose two that looked different and sat for 40 minutes.  I was pleased I didn't feel nearly as self-conscious sitting there as I thought I might.  Also I was surprised how many differences I discovered in the detail of the trees and how looking for those differences improved my knowledge of them both.  What a great exercise!

Backyard garden viewing of two brilliant flowers, plus an unexpected visit from a flying friend.

• I saw a downy woodpecker when I was on my last hike and took a picture.  We have hairy woodpeckers in our area but I have  never seen one.  Although this was a study done at home, I asked and tried to answer questions.  It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot too.  Although my favorite medium is watercolor, I tried out a new one after watching a video by Liz Clayton Fuller—gouache!  I like it!  This course is great and although I am progressing slowly, I am learning a lot and having fun too!
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I compared two citrus trees in my yard.  I have a lemon tree and bitter orange tree. I was able to notice subtle differences in the leaves, the thorniness of the trees, and how the fruits clump.  I am not very good at sitting still or drawing, but I suppose I will improve.  It's interesting how my senses started to tune into your surroundings while doing this.  I started to notice the sweet smell of citrus and an uncharacteristic warm breeze.

I planted two types of kale last year and it has wintered through -10 degree C temperatures and still produces delicious leaves. Right now the plants are flowering and there is an abundance of yellow. So, I decided to compare the two types. I have really taken them for granted. I know one plant provides small, 1 - 1.5 inch leaves, which are tougher, serrated, and the other provides leaves sometimes between 5 - 7 inches long. These are soft, papery leaves with tough leaf stems. Spending time allowed me to closely look at the leaf design and how each attaches to the main stalk. It also allowed me to compare the flowers and how the buds form then open. There were some similarities in flowers and both types had flowers of similar size and were yellow with only slight variation in colour. I know the pollinators like the flowers because I have seen some on there before. I looked carefully and saw the stamens in the centre, four in each flower on each plant. I laid out my page the same as Liz had done in her demonstration and this seemed to work well when comparing two plants.

I did several comparison activities. I quite enjoyed doing them. In all cases they were birds I saw in my yard. I did use what I saw in real time along with my pictures and pictures in a bird book for the drawings. Birds move so fast it was hard for me to do a good comparison quickly. I hope this gets easier with practice. I am not sure how I will balance my drawing, writing, etc in my journal. I have taken a hiatus from my course and journal but am now back at it. I am assuming that my journal will evolve with more time using it.

For my comparison study I chose to compare the Daisy and Dandelion which are around the same size and very often found next to one another in fields and parks. 1.) I learned that my two specimens have a lot in common and yet they can easily be differentiated. 2.) Because I had a fair amount of text I omitted numerical data. Although I kept the vertical division of the page I decided to arrange everything on the right as a mirror image of what I had on the left. This helped bring an even greater balance between all the elements, textual and illustrative.

I learn a great deal from scrolling down through what other participants are showing of their work. Seeing such variation and originality is both encouraging and helpful to me. I loved this last exercise (the comparison study) and was pleasantly surprised by how many questions I now have about the trees growing in my back yard.  Seeking the answers will keep me returning again and again to better understand the nature at my doorstep.

Two, majestic heritage conifers grow in my yard. I have enjoyed watching and photographing wildlife fly/climb in and around these trees for the last 30 years. However, I’ve not taken the opportunity to “climb” onto a branch… until today. I selected a lower limb from a Western Red Cedar and a Douglas-fir to compare for this journal entry. I positioned a stool at the base of each tree to sketch en plein-aire. A sample of each was brought inside for this photo.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the experience. It was first of all fun to find two things to compare. Both Woodhouse's Scrub Jays and Black-billed Magpies visit my yard daily, and I thought it would be fun to choose them! I would balance drawing, writing, and numerical data in my journal by doing organized columns and putting data where it best fit. For example writing the number of petals near the petals themselves.

This was hard! I've lived next to the same oak tree for over 30 years and couldn't remember the shape of its leaves or identify it. Leaves have now come out and hoping to identify the species in the coming weeks.

I was lucky again, and I found a good example of comparison for my study, I think, anyway, to complete it, I tried to found (with the detail description) the scientific name of the plant in the left side, with unsuccessful results, so it´s the reason that appears with an `interrogation´.

I chose two different mushroom varieties spotted on a hike yesterday for my comparison study. I completed drawing and making observations and decided to google each one to try and learn more about it. It turns out that iNaturalist had misidentified one of the mushrooms, and it was actually a close relative of the other! I drew ochre bracket fungus (trametes ochracea) and turkey tail (trametes versicolor). Both grow on dead deciduous trees and have a bracket structure with no stem, but I believe the ochres I saw were more mature than the turkey tails because they were much larger. Taking the time to do the comparison study first made me much more confident about changing the ID and choosing the turkey tail--the white band around the outside was evident in the specimens that I saw and drew, and is one of the distinguishing characteristics. I will definitely try drawing unknown plants and fungi again before seeking out identifications. 

1.  I remembered how to look really closely and record in images and words characteristic botanical features in order to be able to correctly identify plants to species. Simple outline drawings and notes are enough to do this usually.  I don't have to use complicated drawing techniques to do this. 2.  I like the table format that someone else used below to organize the verbal information better.  While my page gets the job done it seems too busy and disorganized.

I chose to look at the various kelp that I found on the Tofino BC beaches when I visited there early October 2021.  I was astounded at how many types there were that were coming on shore due to the high storm season as I hadn’t seen nearly as many on previous visits in the summer.  I have pictures of about 15 types both red and brown and then went into BC Coastal resource site on line to read more about them.  Fascinating to look at the ecosystems they are part of and how many are edible as is as well as being used in other food types (salad dressing).  Looked also at impact of sea urchin decimating kelp areas and the sea otters with the harvesting restrictions. Really enjoyed this exercise.

Carefully observing and comparing two species of Brown Eyed Susans allowed me to notice subtle differences and similarities. Along with my drawings I tried to incorporate written observations and numerical data as well. The longer I observed the more I noticed and felt a great connection with both plants. As an Outdoor Educator I will use this activity with students to help them heighten their awareness and make connections with the natural world on a micro and macro scale.

I enjoyed this process, but got stuck being a little too detailed too early. Might try drawing more loosely and concentrating on more major differences at first.

I noticed that both plants in my comparison study were blooming alongside each other. Each had a very different flower structure. I watched pollinators landing on each of them. but the pollinators were different on each one. The plant with "umbels" had such tiny "sub blossoms," that only little flies could alight on them. The the dandelion light composite flower blossom, it provided a much wider landing pad, so I saw large bees on these. I wonder if this is part of what allows them to be reproducing side by side? They would not have to compete for pollinators, as they each attract different kinds. I wonder what else about them allows them to not be competing? Perhaps they take different nutrients from the soil? A commonality is that they both need full sunlight and seem to do dwell in drought conditions. There was also plenty of space for them. One of the flowers seemed to be much farther along in its phenology cycle. The white "umbel" plant was only just starting its blossoming, had both buds and blossoms. The yellow dandelion like plant was exhibiting mulitple stages, flowers, fruits and seeds, some of which were already dispersing. So the yellow one was farther along it is reproductive cycle than the white one. I wonder if that is another reason that they can co-exist? They need different levels of nutrients at different times?

I have a lot to learn, including how to manipulate this program and insert my thoughts and drawings. Taking the time to really observe, count, see the various shapes and colors, all very important and a real challenge.

I was doing a Sit Spot at my local lake when I noticed that the wild grapes were dangling right next to the ripe blackberries and I thought that would be a fun pair of things to compare. I enjoyed this exercise and found that the more things I found to compare, the more things I found to compare. 

This comparison lesson was helpful in focusing and noticing details.  I compared two different pepper plants.  The obvious differences were how they grew (one up, one down), size (one very small, one much larger).  Some similarities were leaves (both smooth), shape (both elongated oval; however different sizes).  Some less obvious details were the flower on the red pepper plant. At first I didn’t even see the tiny flower as it was covered by a leaf.  With a closer look at the flower, I noticed one taller white carpel in the center surrounded by 5 green stamen. Also how the leaves, although same shape, attached differently to the plant.

I compared the pine tree and the arborvitae tree in my backyard.  These evergreens are similar having seed pods/cones, drop their leaves and have scented leaves when rubbed.  They supply food for animals and parts of the trees are used to benefit people.  Differences are their leaves one pokey and pointy and the other rounded and flat.  The bark on the pine tree is rough and bumpy and the arborvitae is smoother with vertical lines.  I learned a lot about each tree just my making a comparison.

1. I did a comparison study on 2 different firebushes I have in my yard.  One had yellow flowers and one had red flowers, but I've noticed before there are differences in the 2 bushes.  I was very surprised to observe that the red blooming firebush had 3 leaves around the stem and the yellow blooming one had 4 leaves.  Then I had to do more research to be sure they actually were the same kind of plant. 2. I am still better at writing than drawing, but enjoyed the drawing experience.  Adding numbers made a big difference in my observations. 

II  compared  I compared two tropical houseplants the both have exaggerated forms - the anthurium (extremely long, pointed leaves, waxy flowers with prominent spathes) and the pelargonium (tough, ruffled leaves, hairy stems). In my house they share a site and growing conditions. But their origins differ widely (South Africa and South America). I wondered what purpose these characteristics may have had in their native habitats, and whether they still serve any purpose in their new habitats.

My comparison study was done between two plants that have very different overall structure but similar looking flowers. I found myself noticing several distinct features of each species through drawing. Representing the smaller detailed parts of the plant was easier for me but I struggled with representing the overall shape of the plants. I'm going to find a small ruler and tape it to the inside of my nature journal so I have it in the future. For this study the measurements were approximations. The overall balance of drawing, writing, and data I was happy with but I'd like to find a way to better separate out the parts of the comparison.

I walked to a local park, where there was a section of native plant species. I was attracted to the wildly blooming flowers on two neighboring plants and used iNaturalist to try to identify them. Interestingly, iNaturalist indicated they were both in the oenothera family, even though they looked incredibly different. As I observed and sketched, I found myself looking for the similarities amidst the differences, to see how these two plants could be related, and thanks to doing direct comparisons - looking at the same features on each of the plants - I was able to see the subtle similarities. I found that comparison encouraged a balance of sketching, writing, and numerical data, simply because I was taking care to be precise. I'm not sure I used the space on the page well, and might wish to use boxes to separate the various perspectives I try in future observations.

I found that with comparative drawing each time I looked for a further detail when switching back and forth more details popped out. It’s seemed as I was going back and forth I was in a trance and very into the moment. I seemed to find my style here to with my drawings and information I presented. I want to find a way to sharpen the transition of info to picture maybe a box? I really enjoyed this assignment and am looking forward to getting out there and doing more. I think my next one I want to make a separate information column just for measurements. We will see! I feel I am definitely getting my confidence at this point!

I chose to compare two flowering plants in my backyard garden, a penstemon and a larkspur. In the process I learned a lot about the structure of both plants including their leaves, stems, and flowers. I also thought about the organisms that pollinated both plants and realized they were mostly the same for both plants. I'm finding I need to block out the drawing spaces first and then add the writing and numerical data. If not I tend to fill all the space with writing details.

I chose to perform a comparison study of several echinoderms: a round sand dollar, an arrowhead sand dollar, a sea biscuit and sea urchin. All the organisms exhibit pentaradial symmetry. The comparisons help to focus on details. I had wanted to know what purpose the lunules served with the sand dollars and explore the observation of the sea urchin with the hats (shells) on top of its spines. I had trouble with image file size

I am trying to figure out what to add to my pages for facts.  I think maybe some measurements, or what is in the environment.

I hiked in the Hopkins Demonstration Forest in Beavercreek Oregon. The terrain is steep, beautiful hiking path with many birdsongs. This is a managed forest by the county on land donated by a family. Last winter we had a tremendous ice storm that damaged many trees, so many that just the trails have been cleared, the forest is still damaged and it will take years to get it back to the way it was. I had come here in the past with the mycological society to learn about mushrooms. I sat on a stump, closed my eyes, listened and was amazed how soothing this little bit of meditation was. The flowers were not as plentiful and varied as other parts of the Cascade mountains, but this was peaceful on a holiday weekend.            

I visited a local garden, found a quiet spot to sit, and compared two nearby plants - a dawn redwood tree and an overgrown boxwood shrub.  I found that the comparison sparked more questions, encouraging me to look up more information.  Not having a scientific background, I find it difficult to understand the natural functions of what I'm observing, but the process is encouraging me to learn more.

I compared a wild grape vine leaf from my back yard with a sea grape leaf from my sister's yard. Sea grapes are trees and not grapes but their fruit grows in long clusters. They're used in similar ways - juice, jelly etc. The grapes have jagged leaves with loose clusters hiding under leaves. Sea grapes are oval with long visible clusters.  The leaves are much larger. In Fall the grape leaves are yellow, and sea grape leaves are orange or red with yellow veins. Both have a main vein that starts at the stem and goes to the other side of the leaf. I learned that there is a plant with leaves similar to wild grape that is toxic. Open the "grape" and if the seed is like a crecent moon, don't eat it. I think I could organize my data to see that it's a comparison by listing similar things side by side instead of randomly .  Like -  then scientific names,  then colors, then how they grow on the stem, then other observations etc. This was fun. I wanted to compare the tassel weed flowers in the yard, the neighbor's chickens, the trees blooming along the street.

I don't have lots of experience drawing outdoors. So, it was little blinding to look at white paper while sitting in the sun.  first lesson - maybe a hat or find some shade. it helps to be able to see. lol.  Drew in my garden, a fuscia and ?? very different plants.

This was a great exercise. I sketched a mayapple and liverwort plant. Each has very different leaf and flower structure, texture, and color. Except for the black flies harassing me, and the bird that pooped on my hand, this was lots of fun. I used my watercolor pencils for a little color.

Rain/Snow yesterday in Denver, but today when I went for my walk I saw some weeds in the open space along the walking trail.  So I brought a couple of pieces to the house and was able to determine what they were by contacting Larimer County Weed Service.  Then I drew them along with their names and descriptions textures.  I also found out one was non-invasive (Rabbitbrush) and Native American's had used as yellow dye and to make medicinal tea and chewing gum.  The other (Common Mullein) is invasive.  In spring/summer flowers and leaves are edible and can be used in salad or to make tea.  I have lived here 70 years and never even noticed the weeds before.  So fun experience.  

Rainy day in Denver so I opted to compare two of my houseplants: Desert Rose and Chinese Money Plant. In comparing both plants, I noticed way more subtleties than I would have otherwise noticed, such as how the veining shows up on each leaf and color/shine differences. I found it helpful to go feature by feature and upon noticing something in one, looking for it in the other. Did not focus very much on numerical observations other than # of leaves per stem. 

This was a very absorbing exercise.   I picked two plants in the garden and soon realised the flowers were very different in structure.   The forget-me-nots are a classic simple flower with five petals arranged round the reproductive organs to attract the pollinators in, but  the perennial cornflower was much more complex.  It took some time to determine the structures in the flower.   Eventually I dissected a flower and studied the parts with a hand lens, concluding (hopefully) that the true flowers were the tubular structures in the centre, while the purple/blue 'petals' around the edge are decorative and perhaps modified sepals rather than petals.  I couldn't find any structures within these even though they are tubular.  I need to do more research to verify what part is which and if my hypothesis is correct.

Now I’m completing a Comparison study I started a few days ago. I sat out on the front porch and sketched three different ornamental trees/bushes. Since I started we’ve had several days of rain which has stimulated growth of buds and leaves.  I also took some close-up photos as it has been rather cold for extended time observing.  

I really learned a lot from my caparison study of two very opposite looking trees.  They were both growing in a wooded area ,one by a pond.  Because its early spring and no fancy leaves etc. to study , it forced me to really take a good look at the tree itself.  I could really see some of the similarities and differences in bark , branch formation, height, just to mention a few thing.  The up close "face to face" exercise with the trees was very interesting. I still really need to figure out how to manage drawing and descriptive data in the space I will have in my journal. I'm working on that.

Spring is an interesting time to do nature comparisons on the prairies of Colorado - not much is growing yet, at least that's what I thought at first.  I ended up finding several things I could compare, noting the time of year.  Future comparisons in different seasons will be interesting.  I liked focusing on the small part of my subject, but struggled with the bigger picture, at least with the drawing piece.  I also felt like I was too wordy.  It was a great exercise putting into practice all that I've learned so far.  The possibilities are endless!

When I first looked at these two leaves they seemed very similar to me, but after drawing and comparing them, I noticed differences in may things, such as the shape of the points and veins. I also noticed many subtle differences in color.

There is not much growing here yet, still snow on the ground, so I used a couple of wildflower pictures my husband emailed me.  I found that comparison drawing really made you look at things at a deeper level than just drawing a single thing would; kind of puts you in the mindset of looking for differences and similarities.

Not much green outside this time of year except for evergreens...

I was able to get more out of this comparison study than I would have by studying a single cactus sample. Comparing two similar cacti species side-by-side highlights the similarities while also emphasizing the differences. I created a Venn Diagram and used it to note the characteristics of each plant and its overlap with one another. This way I did not feel confined by the remaining space on the sketched page and it was a new way for me to try to document my observations with attention to pattern, form/function, change, etc. A second (or third!) page may be required for all the questions that are generated. And a whole other writing book for the answers! There is so much to learn... and it is a wonderful thing.  

Helen de Groot, Virginia  2/12/21 The temperature is in the 20’s and the ground is covered with snow. Though I know that the hellebore is in bloom under the snow and chick weed is up, I opted to compare a couple of house plants. I’m not sure I will worry about balancing drawing, writing, and recording. I will do all three, but I want to draw. I’m not sure anyone other than myself will ever look at it. It is relaxing for me to draw. I do realize that I will learn a lot through this experience.

1) It was too cold to venture outside today (7F!), so I chose two of my indoor cacti for the comparison study. Even though I've owned these two plants for years, studying them in the context of the comparison study was very useful for noticing new details. I was surprised that the spikes on the two were actually opposite- the left plant seems more concerned with protecting from the top (w/larger, thicker spikes directed upwards) whereas the right cactus has it's largest spikes pointing down. I wondered if that might be due to different predators for each type of cactus. I learned that there is so much we don't truly "see" on a day to day basis.

I am having trouble figuring out how to add sentences above/below my inserted pictures? Any suggestions? Thanks!

I compared pine trees - two different types. It as interesting to see the differences once you started to compare. I made an observation while comparing that I don't think I had really registered before - the pine tree on the left had needles along all aspects of the branch, whereas the one on the right had a lot of bare branch exposed. I didn't have as much time as I wanted to really get into more detail but I absolutely love this method and plan to do this more often!

This was my first day using this journal.  I really enjoyed the lessons and sitting at the dining room table since it was cold outside.  The feeder is just outside the window and is a constant source of entertainment.

Really enjoyed my first comparison study. Have often looked at bladderpod seeds, dry on the ground, as well as those still hanging on plant (some dry and others various shades of green), but never paid close attention. By comparing pods, became more aware of the process of change. I didn't really make use of numbers except as labels; in the future I think I will be more likely to consider using drawing, writing and recording numerical data; but, I think the balance will vary. Thank you to all of you who have shared, especially photos of your journal pages; they're ALL inspirational. Whoops. Noticed dated 1/14/2020 instead of 1/14/2021. Happy New Year!

This exercise encouraged me to look at the two plants very carefully. While on the surface, the orchid and amarylis differ greatly, they have similarities that became obvious as I observed them carefully. I enjoyed cataloging their parts!

I find that I spent so much time recording that I don't lave enough room for the sketching. I discovered that I enjoyed referring back to the lesson points and reflecting on comparisons. It stretched my thinking.

It is January, so there aren't too many flowers in the garden. I did find a Mimulus and Yarrow - the focus of my comparison study. The provocations above helped focus my observations. Thank you!

Did this in ink for better visibility. One similarity I didn't note down is the irregular shape of the shells. Need to improve in capturing their curvature along different axes.

I did the exercise two times and was amazed at how much I missed on the first attempts! This is very useful.

I chose salvias for my project. Because of bad weather I picked the flowers from the planter by the front door.. Too rainy and cold to sit outside.  The variety on the left is Black and Blue Salvia.  The color is a very dark purple blue. The variety on  the right is Skyscraper.  It is a pink although it is described as purple on the plant tag.. they are definitely different.  The Black and blue flowers are much shorter than the Skyscraper flowers. The Skyscraper has a cluster of flowers at the top of  the stem. I thought the leaves were smooth along the edge but looking closer I saw they are serated. I think I will be looking closer at what I am drawing and this class helped a great deal.  

I work in fisheries so had some thawing fish heads - My comparison of albacore vs sockeye eyeballs led to a morning spent studying the physiology of the support structure for the two different eyeballs - it was super interesting. I have looked at fish for 25 years and never thought about how the eyes sat in the head and why.

I decided it was too cold for me to sit outside comfortably. I've been doing Feeder Watch and often watch the backyard where I have a water bath and several feeding stations. The Red-breasted Nuthatch that appeared for the first time a month ago has fascinated me. Seeing RBNU in the forest trees is very different. I have been surprised at their tiny size, only 4 inches, smaller and slimmer than the Goldfinches and House Finches that come to my feeder. Everyone says how cute they are with their behaviours of sneaking in so quickly you hardly see them and it's so true. They are adorable! Drawing the 3 birds together I noticed how different their patterns are, how different their bills are even though they are all seed eaters. The Nuthatch has such a long pointed slender bill but I know that's for digging and poking into tree bark for bugs etc. They also hide their food in bark crevices. I think when they fling themselves into my feeder and swoop out so fast I can hardly see them that they are hiding the seeds in the Ponderosa Pine tree that is next to the feeder. I should add the Black-capped Chickadees that come to the feeder to show how large they appear beside the Nuthatch.  I want to do this sketch again but add and compare the BCCH and add some water color paint.

Comparing two snakes that crossed my path today.

I decided to compare two yard plants that I thought would share some similar characteristics.  Turns out that they don’t!  When comparing them, I wasn’t really excited about it.  But in my observations I did notice that the bunnies use the fountain grass as a place to hide out and hang out, so that made it a bit more interesting.

I'm having so much fun with this - and I see so many ways to use comparison studies.  I began with a comparison of two oak leaves.  Honestly, I'd never really thought much about the fact that there are so many different kinds of oak trees.  To start, I randomly picked two different leaves and used them for my first comparison study.  This made me curious to know more about the trees in my area - and I've been learning more about them each day.

I choose late-season wild Snowberry and Rose fruits for my comparison. What I really enjoyed about this exercise is how it made me look for detail and to appreciate the beauty that can be found in natural objects as they start to disintegrate at the end of the season. I especially liked the shape of the curved rose thorns when you look very closely. While snowberries appear white from a distance, when I held them against a the snow, they are actually a light, creamy white. For fun, I tried out the watercolours to add another dimension to the page. It is very hard to make something look white (or creamy white) on a white journal page!

This fall we have had a flock of Clarks Nutcrackers and several Stellar Blue Jays co-habitating in our canyon. At one point we had over 50 Nutcrackers, but the majority of them moved on and about a dozen have stayed and the Jays are staying too. In the four years that we have been here (Salmon Idaho) we have not had Nutcrackers in our canyon so this is very interesting. There are differences and similarities between the two species. Physically they are similar in size.  Socially the Jay is much more aggressive, but the Nutcrackers are very verbal if you invade their space. The Jays seem to be solitary where the Nutcrackers are in a large group, but are paired up. They are both feeding on the Douglas Fir pine cones but the Jays are always looking for a handout at the feeders. A very interesting note; this past spring we planted fifty White Pine seedlings, along with Ponderosa, Lodgepole and Western Cedars. We did this to bring diversity to our DF woodlots but also to attract Nutcrackers (their main source of food is WP seeds).  The seedlings are not producing seeds yet and will not for quite some time, but whenever I tend to the WP seedlings the NC's put up quite a ruckus. Is it possible they were drawn to the canyon by the presence of the seedlings?

  My leaves were not similar but I found the differences interesting.  I enjoyed just really taking tie to look at objects.

I notices different sizes of the shrubs. The configuration of the branches, the relative lightness of the potintella versus the nine bark. It’s the the first perennial garden we created and it will be fun to see how it survives.

I chose two bushes that grow in my yard. I was interested in them because it is now late October and  they are very different. The Mock Orange shows no sign of fall, really. Still green and strong with dark berries. The Burning Bush has turned a gorgeous magenta/red color and has begun to shed its leaves and has bright pink/orange berries. I enjoyed forcing myself to look closer and notice the similarities and differences beyond their obvious colors.

I liked this exercise.  It really helped me concentrate on the details.  Amazing how things look so similar from a distance and then when looking closely how different they really are.

This spring I planted Salvia Victoria Blue and Salvia Red Hot Sally. Although both are salvia the do not look much alike. I did my comparison between the two and found even more differences than I noticed through casual observation. I'm still unsure how they can both be called Salvia other than that they both seem to be in the mint family. I don't have a system yet for recording drawing, writing and numerical data so they are organized for comparison.

I choose two "mates", that stand in the park for as long I remember. They are: a Gingko biloba tree and a Hibiscus bush, with light pink flowers. But... I wasn't sure about the name of the flowers (!). Then I checked: hibiscus. It's autumn and the flowers are blossoming, in a beautiful pink and green composition; I could see fully blossomed flowers and about-to-blossom ones. I had never looked at these flowers with such a detail. I was marveled by the delicate petals and the five dark pink dots, every flower has. I am curious to search for more scientific information, about hibiscus. I had searched for Gingko biloba, in the past. Yet, comparing it's leafs with the hibiscus petals was an interesting exercise. Also, it allowed me to look closer at the colors of the leafs, texture and how smooth they are. Balancing drawing and writing is something I'm still learning; I don't think I have found my style yet, although I usually prefer to draw in one page and write on the adjacent one, if possible. In this exercise, I draw and wrote notes on the same page. I haven't used colors yet, as I's like to know more, before I use them.

I focused on two plants in my back yard...but in drawing them and making my observations, I was taken back on a journey to my high school biology class. I needed to research, and then added to my comparison study, the reproductive parts of a plant.  It was a wonderful journey.  

I learned to look closer. I've always had those flowers around but never noticed the inner of the flower nor how the color blends smoothly. I would always try to draw, write and notice numerical data because it clarifies so much about the flower.

I liked doing the comparison study.   It made me really look at each flower and each leaf.  I am searching for my style and decided to try the boxes and I like them. 

Making comparisons allowed me to hone in on observations I may have overlooked.

First, it's October and still in the 100's, so my garden is hot and tired, much like I am.  I found two flowers to compare and my dogs encouraged me to clip them and finish the work inside.  I didn't have a plan, but words formed around my image in a cluster, much the same as the flowers grew.  It was fun to look closely and see the similarities and differences.  Shape and color stood out the most.  Most plants good for Arizona have tiny leaves, so I'm guessing this vine has grown so well because it has shade.

I chose 2 flowers to compare. It's fall now, but I was surprised to find there were flowers out still. I did enjoy doing a comparison study, because I think I noticed details that I wouldn't have otherwise, and it allowed me to think about the purpose of flowers. That is, to attract pollinators so the plants can produce seeds. The first frost is probably coming soon, so these late bloomers will need to make seeds soon if they want to have offspring next spring. I don't know too much about plants, so perhaps there is a strategy here that I'm not aware of. Anyway, I would have liked to do a comparison study with some kind of animals, but unfortunately they move too much and I think I wouldn't notice a whole lot unless I spent hours observing. I think this exercise will equip me for the next observations going forward. They certainly reminded me how to think like a scientist!

Enjoyed doing this. The exercise of posing questions from what you are looking at was good and will be really helpful away from home. Even sitting in my backyard, comparing herbs that I use in cooking was enlightening.

1. I went outside and picked 2 branches with different leaves from my backyard. It was cold and my son wanted to stay inside, so the compromise was that we would stay in, but that I would draw while he played. I learned going back and forth between my 2 examples. Whenever I noticed a detail on one, I would check for a similar element on the other, and so on. I ended up observing much more than what I anticipated. I also picked a maple branch with leaves that were pretty much dead. I was surprised by my own choice... and how much beauty I found in something that was past its prime.  2 - I realize that drawing first and writing around the drawing flows better for me. I might just keep a page for writing and another for my drawings and light notes.

Just spending time in my backyard, comparing flowering annuals. Trying to get better at drawing what I see.

I have done three comparisons - in my garden, two flowering plants which are difficult for me to identify until they flower - scarlet lynchnis and four o'clocks; kayaking up Little River in Washington County, Maine, two finely divided leafy submersed plants which I later identified as water marigold and large purple bladderwort; and walking through Moosehorn Wildlife Refuge in Washington County, Maine, two ferns, interrupted fern and Christmas fern.  The exercise has been very helpful for me in looking closely at the parts of plants and learning the proper vocabulary for describing them as well as thinking about form and function.

Observation! Becoming better at observing was one of the main reasons I wanted to take this course. I find identifying plants in nature so difficult - I hope this will help. To that end, I compared twig cuttings of two different species of mesquite in my yard.  And I absolutely noticed so much more than I would have, using the comparison method! My written comparisons are on another page, and I have already added more questions and possible answers as they pop into my head. I hope when I start using a different notebook, my pages will become more pleasing to the eye, overall. I am trying to cram too much on one page, I think. It was a lot of effort, drawing all those leaflets!  By the time I was done with the overall sketch of each, I was nearly out of steam to do proper secondary drawings.  

1. It's not quite spring here so I couldn't find anything in flower. Mine is a small shrub comparison. This exercise made me really curious about why there is so much difference in the leaf type of two plants in the same environment. 2. I like the mix of multiple drawings, notes and measures. I appreciate the idea of having the full subject rough sketch to go alongside the more focused sketches. Adding the questions, not just the observations and data is really powerful to me.

Enjoyed this exercise, found I noticed more details about each plant.

Really an intimate way to intersect art and discovery. This slow introspection allowed me to see the wonder and beauty of something I was quite fearful of prior to the study. As Hurricane Laura was not far from my area, I ventured inside and retrieved a matchbox with specimens from my yard. Originally meant for my grandchildren, I found myself the student! I have a greater appreciation for this noisy summer cicada.

1.I tried a Venn diagram with the butterfly bush and hydrangea, and saw many similarities and differences, like how butterfly bush has a bit of red on it. 2. I did a lot of small drawings to give a visual, then lots of observations. 

I compared butterfly bush and black-eyed susan in my garden. Either my sketchbook is too small or I tried to cram too much information in--I suspect this would be a problem with a larger notebook because there is so much to compare. I may try and think more ahead of time about whether I making a general comparison to identify something or if there is something I specifically want to compare. I didn't leave enough room to write down questions.

I compared two plants in my garden that I see every day but was looking at their details for the first time.

I compared two flowering plants in Parc Micaud, Besançon (FR). This comparative exercise is so useful for probing into questions of form. I would have liked to have a magnifying glass at hand to learn more; it was quite difficult to see some of the finer details with the naked eye but I had the feeling there was much more to learn!

I did with two garden plants, I think that when you compare , you pay much attention to details.

I selected a familiar wild flower and then one I was not familiar with.  I was a little overwhelmed by the second one   (Right side) . I think the Queen Anne’s lace was closer, easier to see and observe. The second one was more complicated but did make me think of a lot of questions about the flower portion, and leaves.  Great exercise!

Such fun. I found tiny flowers where I thought there were only berries and flowers that seemed to grow from the base of leaves. The leaves were so different. Hard shiny plastic for the red berry and  rough as a fine sandpaper for the second, although they looked so soft. Both weeds I suspect, next to a road. I could not find anything similar when I searched for names.

I compared two Florida flowering shrubs: the Firebush and the Golden Dewdrop.  The Firebush has orange tubular flowers growing in clusters with medium sized continuous leaves.  After the flowers bloom, they form dark red berries at the base of the flower.  The Golden Dewdrop has tiny purple flowers growing downward in clusters.  I noticed before the flowers bloom a tiny stem forms, then buds and then the tiny purple flowers bloom.  It reminds me of a dewdrop and hence the name. Both bushes have similar leaves but they are not exactly the same. One is more elongated than the other.  I learned that both flowers attract insects including butterflies. I believe the Firebush also attracts hummingbirds because of the flower's tubular shape.   I learned that every flower has its unique qualities, but can attract similar insects.  I can balance my drawings by using different sized plants, trees. colors.  I discovered so many details on the bushes that I wouldn't have normally noticed until I  started to sketch them.

I wouldn't have noticed how the plains coreopsis' younger shoots of leaves only have 2 segments where the fully mature and ones towards the base of the plant have 5 segments, with the 2 lower ones being forked. Also the black eyed Susan has the slightest blush of deeper yellow at the base of the petals (which I found even more noticeable when doing the squint test).

I have tried the comparison study,  I compared two trees in a barranca park, I started with the bark, tree, structure, color, leaves, and needles.  I had about 30 minutes to complete the assignment.  I did experience a bit of trouble with my spacing in my sketch book.  Also need to sketch darker and with a better plan, will need more practice. I wondered why these trees were planted in this park.  I noticed that there were a wide variety of very tall trees and many species of birds.  I think that bird diversity for habitat played a key role with the many choices of trees planted.  And the needles seem to draw small bug eating birds to the ground under the conifer pine trees.

Doing a comparison study was a great learning experience.  I did a study between a flight feather and a down feather - which with further study I realized was actually a semi-plume feather.  The flight feather is a wing rather than a tail feather, I think.  It has bands of faded light and dark browns.  So, since it is faded, I believe it is an old, molted feather.  It is 9 1/2 "  and looks to be the feather of a red-tailed hawk.  The semi-plume feather is quite beautiful with a striking spotted pattern.  I plan to redraw it once my drawing skills improve! Also, I need to figure out how to identify this feather.  The spots are probably a good clue.

I did a comparison study on two volunteer trees in my backyard. What I learned is that despite thinking that I pay attention to nature, I don't. I missed so many details. This exercise caused me to look so much more closely. I didn't know what one of the trees was. My tree key was of no help, which was extremely frustrating. My son-in-law identified it with his tree key as a White Mulberry. It turns out the White Mulberry was not in my key, only the Red Mulberry and only with mature leaves. Apparently the leaves change shape as the tree ages. Why? The other tree we confirmed was a White Poplar. I had never even noticed the unusual diamond pattern of its bark! The trees came to my yard via their underground system of root suckers from a tree in a neighbor's yard. This study led me down a path to find more information online, which lead me back to look at the trees, which led me back to more study and drawing, and on and on.

I’ve compared between the sand bubbler crabs and the black stone crabs. The sand bubblers crabs: light colour that resumable the sand, with redish tips. Have popping long eyes. And live under the sand (I’ve never noticed them eating! They are hard workers while the tide is low!) The black stone crabs: black with a hint of dark green colour. Have half round shapes eyes fixed to their body. And live between the rocks and walls by the shore. (Yes, I saw one eating from a green floating weed that got placed by the rocks due to the low tide - they can be spotted even at the high tide time between the rocks and walls) I need to sketch that in details :)

For years I have not been able to reliably tell the difference between two species of blue camas that grow in the Victoria area, common camas and great camas. Both species have blue flowers with six petals and both plants vary in size and colour. So, I decided this would be a good time to really look at both flowers to find some subtle differences.

This comparison of two plants brings more attention to detail and how the same part of two different plants can be so vastly different. The question of pollinators, who does it ... probably hummingbirds or specialized moths on the columbine but what about the tiny blossoms on the unidentified flower. Using words, numbers and drawings intensifies concentration.    

I tried another comparison that looked at different stages of development of an Amaryllis over time. I used to study Goethean Science which uses drawing to understand the dynamic form of natural organisms, so it was fun to draw on those old skills.

A nice exercise. Really increases capacity for detailed observation.

I really like the comparison lesson. It's amazing how toggling back and forth between two leaves reveals things you wouldn't notice were you drawing them individually. I'm still overworking the medium to try and get the colors and values correct, but hope I'll improve over time. 

Living in NYC I don't feel comfortable taking a bus/train to get to the nearest park so I've been googling images for references. I couldn't get as much detailed as I wanted but I enjoyed the process. I can't wait to be able to do this in the real world. 

I am enjoying this course and finding that sitting, listening and observing the small things in detail amid the larger surroundings quite absorbing and calming.  Sketching does make one take the time to really observe and think further. This has been a wonderful way to observe the arrival of spring and see connections in nature that I have not noticed before. I am so impressed by everyones submissions!  I hope to add color to my attempts before long.  The black flies and ticks are currently limiting my time sitting outside (and the yard work that needs attention)

These were definitely two very different flowers. The columbine flower fell apart before I could finish drawing it, but it had very unusual petals (see top of picture for the real petals). Drawing these flowers has made me want to restudy the parts of a plant because each of the recent flowers I have drawn in this journal had me looking up flower parts and I still feel a little unclear about what was what. I would have called the sepals on the columbine petals...I found myself pondering the pollinators who would prefer these two plants - one with a very flat landing pad and one where you would need to approach the flower from underneath. Because the flower fell apart I was better able to discern its separate parts. If you had enough flowers to do this, I can see the advantage of taking a flower apart to better understand its components. I like to have plenty of room for the image so I sometimes have additional notes on another page.

Enjoyed this exercise!  It helps watching the video and seeing how everyone else is doing it.  It helps get past the, “oh no, it’s a blank page” in front of me!

1: Yes, I tried a comparison study & learned that I really need to do more of them. It brings out the child-like wonder, awe, & curiosity of learning & exploration that I miss. I did my study on 3 different types of Irises in my front yard & gardens. I noticed that Irises have lots of differences in color, shape, size, quantity, function, & systems. They also share similarities. The “why” questions of color, shape, size, quantity, function & systems all expanded into further study ideas & more questions to ask. 2: To balance my journal pages, I need to add more writing details & get use to adding numerical data to the drawings. I have been focused on the drawings & making them detailed & life-like, and by leaving off the information of who, what, where, when, why, & how that tells the whole story, was the important missing pieces to complete the pages. Everything is equally important.

I decided to compare these two plants in my back yard. It’s an unmanicured bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. Some of the vegetation was intentionally planted by the prior owner, but most is native happenstance. I think these two plants are natural inhabitants of the land. I have no idea what either one is, but am now curious to find out. The comparison study caused me to think about qualities that I might not have noticed if I were just looking at one plant by itself.

I have tried a comparison study. Since I have seen the video I have started to notice things differently in the nature. I decided to compare two herbs and I have noticed different colors, texture, and leaves. By observing them during a comparison study I have noticed that parsley has got big leaves with a triad of leaves together while a thyme has got many leaves in a more symmetric shape. It was difficult to draw them, but the comparison observation made me thinking how many times I have not noticed things that are there. I do not like eating parsley, but after the comparison study I have to admit that I like its colors very much. It brings me happiness and light.

I'm so far behind on this course I think I'm in front.  Yesterday I went out to do my comparison study, our first decent day weather-wise in two weeks.  Either freezing to death or drowning in rain!  Some Virginia spring!  I compared two common weeds, common cinquefoil and what is called Indian mock-strawberry.  Both have tiny yellow flowers.  Both have palmate leaves.  Both are growing abundantly with all the rain.  My sit spot is in our "bird garden," a mulched patch with old-growth trees, holly shrubs, about ten feeders of different kinds (viewable from our breakfast nook window), bird bath, and the fattest squirrels who live in condos in the big trees.  The feeders attract the usual suspects: cardinals, house finches, downies, red-bellies, nuthatches, tufted titmice, chickadees, mourning doves, "snowbirds" that have just left, blue jays, bluebirds, robins, catbirds (who knew they eat suet?), and northern flickers. 

Our state parks reopened this week, so my husband and I headed to Enchanted Rock to hike the Echo Canyon Trail. I’m an official interpretive guide for the park but haven’t been able to lead any hikes since the pandemic. Only a few visitors are allowed at the park, must wear masks and social distance, so it was very peaceful with a lot less visitors than normal. It’s my favorite time of year at Enchanted Rock with all the gorgeous wildflowers blooming. I did an observation of two yellow flowers in bloom, the prickly pear cactus and a brown bitter weed. I loved the experience of detailing what I saw in the journal. I need a bigger journal for sure. I have much more I would have liked to write down if there was space.

I did my comparison on a dangerous situation involving an invasive species threatening another species brought to the Americas in the 1800s, the honey bee.  A single Asian Giant Hornet can decimate a honey bee hive in about 3 hours.  If you see one of these hornet contact your state agriculture department.

It was quite fun to do a comparison study. Especially once you realise there's so many details you don't take in unless you are actively looking for diferences. As a field biologist I have no problems balancing drawing, writing and numbers and actually wonder how did it take me so long to start sketching the things I was seeing!  

I wanted to do a comparison of some interesting birds but, with cool outdoor temperatures still (and limited access to parks due to the current COVID-19 lockdown), I used a postcard someone had sent me years ago showing six different owl heads. I chose two that I have personally seen and sketched them below, then looked in my bird guides for information on each one. 1) I learned there are many differences in colour, size, shape, and behaviour between the two species although they have common features, such as no ear tufts and large facial disks to gather light while hunting at night. 2) I think it's possible to combine drawings, written comments, and measurements or other numeriacal data on the journal page as they come to you (or as you find things in research material). This somewhat cluttered look appeals to me as it makes you study the finished page more carefully later when you want to review all the facts and features of the observations.    

I noticed the bend in the cedar branch and how they are related to the greenery, and how loose the twigs are. I took more time studying the underside of the hemlock needle, and how dense they are. So... more detail seen and investigated. Balancing data, text and drawings will take practice. Need to investigate more before drawings to determine what is needed, them lay out, leaving space for additional discoveries.

I found my first comparison study very difficult ... choosing to sketch two orchids was way too ambitious. It was challenging to get proportions right, to indicate texture and shading, and it was especially hard to capture the tiny details, but it was a great exercise in observing closely! I’m hoping the future lessons will help me improve my drawing skills.  As for a balance on my journal pages, I’ve followed Jack Laws’ videos for several months, and I have his book on Nature Journaling, so I had started developing a style, but got away from it when I started the course. I think it’s time to return to some of that now, in terms of how I lay out each page, and what I include. I love this course and am learning so much! Thank you, Liz!

I found it to be a useful exercise but once in the middle of it I realized choosing two more contrasting examples would have been better, since the two plants might just have been the same with different color and growth stages. Still useful as a practice tool. Also taught me to better organize comparison criteria: height, color, type of plant, leaf and petal dimensions and characteristics, etc... I went about it a little haphazardly. Great practice, nonetheless. Anything that sharpens the eye and trains you to observe and note, is good!

I sat outside for a short period on a chilly April day trying to sketch in between online classes I had to teach. I almost resented going back inside. I was in the edge of the woods so the Mayapples are already here and the invasive Garlic Mustard plants. As I walked through the woods I looked down and saw these as a  top down viewpoint. Of course the Garlic Mustard is taller than the parasol like Mayapples(no "apple" yet) and has already begun to flower with a 4 petal white flower and has ridged leaves versus the Mayapple with the symmetrical lobed leaves.

This was my first effort at field journal comparison journal. I had fun sitting on a stool in a small garden in my backyard during the “stay at home” order. I found so many interesting things to follow up on like the iridescent blue green fly that kept me company. I found out later that he is called a “long legged” fly and he is a decomposed. So fit right in with our lesson. I compared a gerbra daisy with a salvia. Here is my journal page, which really spilled over to another page because it was so interesting, I had to follow up on the internet with some questions.

I compared andromeda and leucothoe, both planted in my yard. I chose these because of some superficial similarities: general leaf shape, presence of dried flowers from last season, new spring flowers forming, overall shape and size of the shrub. By looking more closely, I could see that the form and branching was quite different. The arrangement of leaves (alternate on both) showed some observable differences, too. The andromeda appears from a distance has a rosette of leaves at the end of each branch. The leucothoe has alternating leaves at each node, and the stem itself zig-zags at each node, whereas the andromeda's stem remains straight at the nodes.

It's spring, so there's new growth in our yard.  I compared the new growth of an evergreen and a perennial.  Enlightening! When writing and recording as descriptive, the location/placement of info.  seems self-evident.  Artful?  A goal for sure, as is figuring out how to insert image.< ;

I did a comparison of two flowering plants that are forming mattes in my currently fallow garden area.  It really did help to focus attention on various details doing the comparison.  The two form very dense mattes, and appears there is some type of competition going on between them.  Putting two items on the same page is a great technique!

I compared two plants in my house. It's been a bit tricky to get outside to do it while hiking with two kids and my husband (also I've been birding! Working on learning the sound!) Just as in the above video, the longer I looked at the plants, the more that I noticed and started off seeing their differences, but after a bit of time started to note some similarities that weren't readily obvious. I enjoyed the focused study! I think adding a lot of different type of information - measurements, height, shape, etc. gives a greater picture of something and in the future can help with identification or with recalling the moment.

At first I didn't think that many details was that important on my first mushroom. Then when I started the second mushrooms I started to realize the differences. Some where very obvious but I wouldn't think it record the texture of the stalk on the first one if I didn't see how textured and complex the second one was. I started to compare everything: colors, shapes, where it grew, etc. It seems like that would come naturally but this activity really did forces me to pull out those details that we may take for granted on first glance. 

These are two conifers.  I first noticed their different shapes.  I continued to draw after I wrote my notes.  Maybe next time I'l take my notes on the side and add them to the page after the drawings are done.  I wanted to sketch the cones on the page but there is no room for that.

I decided to compare 2 beetles. They had more differences than similarities. I made a table with some info about them. 

I haven't done many comparison studies, but I have done some. I thought the comparison study helped me focus better on the unique characteristics of the black-capped and the chestnut-back chickadees that I was comparing, and the similarities between them. I learned that creating a comparison study can help you distinguish different and similar characteristics about two different things. When balancing drawing and writing in my journal, I think I will balance them depending on what I want to do that day, and what I want to write/draw about.

I have been observing this two different bird species for three months. Both are black and nest in the bougainvillea in front of my house. When I made this comparison study I notice that the Great-tailed Grackle  (left) has yellow eyes, is bigger with longer tail and beak than the Cowbird (right). Maybe he has a stronger beak so he can eat anything, he can eat from the garbage bags. The Cowbird is chubby, has red eyes and is not aggresive as the Great tailed Grackle.

We were in Florida back in February and we were camping at Devil’s Den in Williston .  The days were warm and I sat at a picnic table and drew these two items.  They have totally different textures and I was trying to use the hatching, contour hatching, and some scribbling in this exercise.   I learned that these techniques help to convey depth and texture like whether something is smooth or rough.

I compared the leaves of three backyard plants. The rhododendron and the laurel were very similar and symmetrical while the azalea was quite different with a rather random, but connected series of paths, suggesting that the laurel and rhododendron might be related. The actual rhodie and laurel plants themselves are quite different though and the laurel shape is more closely related to the azalea in shape with multiple stems coming from the ground rather than one or two stems rising with multiple off shoots like the rhodie.

Great toi have a chance to record and define what I see.

Just exactly that..I need to focus to even see the differences. It’s a discipline thing. Drawing , writing, recording come naturally if you are concentrating on only one or two items. the short notation with a dot before it works for me interspersed with the drawings.The research that follows, the questions asked are equally important to me.

I finally completed my comparison of the Junco and Chickadee both of which frequent our feeder.  I am still not drawing from the real thing - this is from the Sibley Field Guide but it did allow me to really see the differences in their form and to focus on differences in behaviour.  No modelling in the drawings but maybe I will do that later.  Scribbling is useful.

I have a small grove in my garden is covered with Lesser Prewinkle.  Only two yards from it,  Balkan Anemones have been conquering the gravel path. The flowers of both plants  have a very similar purple violet color and the plants are also similar in height. ( a few inches) .  But all the rest is quite different: I noticed different shapes of the leaves (shiny and single /opposite  and smooth edged  versus  mat and composite/ dented). Flower stem were bold versus hairy.  The five  petals of the Prewinkle merge into a tube shape at the base of the flower with five sepals. The Anemone has about fourteen petals, but I couldn’t find any sepals! This triggered my curiosity and after  consulting some botanical websites, the mystery was solved:  The ‘petals’  seem to be false and are actually colored sepals! This was a true eye opener. Without this drawing excercise, it would never come to my mind that I was looking at a flower chalice..

Finally getting back to the class after a longer hiatus during the holidays that expected. For this exercise I studied two nests, it was a good way to make more focused observations than just looking at one object.

This exercise helped me really observe the different attributes of the two types of tree flowers.  I think it will help me identify species.

It is still too cold to do anything outside here, where I live. I collected a group of tiny coniferous cones that were all attached together on a branch (group of branches) on the ground where they had fallen, and used these in a comparison with a larger pine cone. The pine cone was a little smaller than fist sized and the group of 9 small cones were similar or just a little smaller than the pine cone.  I wish I knew what kind of tree the tiny cones were from (they are not hemlock, as I do know what those are like). I honestly can't say what I learned from this, aside from careful observation of details which I think I would have done just from the fact of drawing them anyway.

This exercise was not too dificult to do. Focus in the subjects allow me to think more about real structure. I think I made 2 attempts before I was happy with what I saw. Using what is taught, helped me to catch the volume of the birds (at least I think so). I made a list of the birds that will be add in the reply. I don't think I missed any bird.

1. A deeper level of detail was observed on each plant during the comparison study. Working back and forth between each plant/sketch provided specific items to look at on each. 2. I like an equal balance of writing/data and drawing in my journal. I feel all provide valuable observation cues and information for reference later.

I went walking on the nearby riverwalk without know what to compare. There were 2-3 dozen mallards in one area so I thought I'd just observe them but as I did, I began to notice differences. My pare was not laid out as a comparison study because I thought I'd just be observing them!

This is my comparison study, holly and hemlock.  I did see many differences that I might not have otherwise noted.

I went for a walk on the riverwalk nearby without knowing what I was going to see or compare. I found an area with 2-3 dozen ducks and as I watched them and took notes I started seeing differences in them. My comparison is not separated like the one in the lesson, because it started out as observations, only. I really enjoyed my time watching the ducks and would never have noticed many of the details if I had just taken photos. 

I compared male and female flowers of the oak tree and found that the male flowers with their long pollen-filled clusters of flowers can lead to early spring allergies.  I also compared the acorns and leaves of the northern red oak and pin oak trees.

      I sent two comparison studies--one of the two acorns and leaf types in the northern red oak and the pin oak. The second is a comparison of the male and female flowers on a single oak tree.  Oaks are monoecious and so have both male and female reproductive flowers on the same tree.  It was interesting to read about this and realize that some spring allergies come from the pollen from the male flowers that will open up very soon. -- Trudy I am not sure you got the drawings.  I will add them again to this submission.  

I did my comparison study on the feet of American Coots and Mallard ducks.  Coots have lobed toes and very sharp toenails; Mallards have webbed feet and somewhat flat toenails.  Coots legs and feet are a mix of blue gray, green, and yellow; Mallard feet and legs are various shades of orange and umber.  The toe formation, webbing variance and different colors made me wonder why the birds were put together like that. The Coots are more or less confined to marsh lands.  Their lobed toes give them traction in the water when they’re swimming, but the separation between the toes also allows for more flexibility on land and walking through and over matts of marsh plants.  The Coots also use their feet in dominance battles. I would assume that the light color of their legs and feet make it less likely that predators under the water could see them, and might mistake them for wafting plant frond.  On land, they WALK rather than WADDLE. I know that Mallards are the ancestors of all of the domestic duck (except the Muscovy) and they can thrive in a variety of habitats.  Although they nest on ground, they spend a lot of time in the water feeding and displaying to one another. Obviously, their webbed feet make it easier to maneuver in the water while still allowing them to travel on land.  The orange color, though, is suddenly interesting to me.  Why such a bright and obvious color on their feet?  I did a little more research on them and discovered that the color of their feet can vary depending on their age and hormone levels. The feet turn bright orange in the breeding season, signaling to others that they’re old enough and healthy enough to breed. On land, the ducks WADDLE rather than WALK.

I learn to see the little things in nature and some details. It's a matter of the things you like, for example I like more drawing than writting and numerical data, 70% drawing, 20% writting and 10% numerrical data.

Two orchids , one tiny , one very large.  Leaves the same on both. Though the flowers differ in size their structure is very similar with larger "elephant ear" petals and tiny beards at the end of the front of the flower. I need to pay more attention to note-taking.

I 1. I choose to draw two regular visitors to my patio for my comparison study. The dark-eyed juncos are year round visitors while the chestnut backed chickadees have only appeared this fall/winter. It's made me wonder why they aren't here year round (at my feeder, anyway) and if there is competition for nesting sites and food with their cousins, the black-capped chickadees which are more numerous.  The chickadees prefer the peanuts I leave out for them and the nuthatches while the juncos are content to hop around on the patio and in the planters feasting on the suet crumbs that other birds with messy eating habits (such as the flickers) fling around when they  hang and feast from the suet block.

I'm including my comparison drawing and remarks about the Downy Woodpecker and the Hairy Woodpeckers that I see at my feeders this winter.  

I have two cats -  a large gray striped cat and a fat black cat.  Odin, the striped cat, realized I was drawing him and left.  Data, stayed put longer.

I did a comparison of two tree next to each other, one was a giant cottonwood tree all twisted and rough bark, the other was a smaller tree with several small trunks, finer bark and narrow leaves.  It was enjoyable to spend a long time just observing two different trees.  I noticed when I was walking back to my car, that I was observing all the different trees and how the bark and tree trunks looked.

I compared two species of gum trees in an area of forest that had a prescribed fuel-reduction burn about 12 months ago.  These gums almost always survive fire and it was interesting to look at the differences in the post-burn growth of two trees side-by-side. I felt that the exercise was incomplete until I went home to look up which species these were.  (There are 29 species of Eucalypt in Tasmania where I live.)  Knowing which species I was comparing somehow made the observation seem more satisfying for me. I thought about comparing a third species, but it wasn't a gum, it was Banksia, which I decided was too different for this comparison.  But I started to look at the tree more closely anyways as they were all dead, none survived the fire. They need fire to open the large hard seed cones, which had me ready to start drawing again and making different observations.  So this very focused, close-up exercise was interesting for me.

This is where I stalled b/c life got in the way! Moving on...

I compared 2 plants growing next to each other at the root of a tree. Ferns grew out of mulch of oak leaves in the valley of roots. Moss grew on tree itself. The different growth areas may influence the characteristics. Fern: 5-8” stems with several dozen upturned flat blue-green elongated oval leaves growing alternately and tapering from narrower at both ends to wider in the middle. Growing out of soil....nutrients available from rich mulch. Fern did not grow where moss was. Moss: carpet-like 1/2” thick layer spread over square foot of bark with many varied shades of yellow green shoots tangled together...more surface area to trap water, etc. since it is growing out of bark? Moss did not grow where fern was. function...shape and number of leaves related to how plants collect nutrients, water, and light? change...these plants remained bright green in the winter forest...processing light energy all year long? scale...they are small plants compared to the trees around them. Do they thrive with more sun when tree leaves are down? quantity...small in size and number, but persist throughout the forest system...fern grew from rotting oak leaves, moss on the living tree trunk...what do they offer tree in return? Plants did not overlap into each other’s s territory. No moss under fern, no fern on moss. The plants all grew in one nook of tree root systems...what was the direction? Comparison made me look and think harder, and therefore observe more. I enjoy the sketching to focus my attention. I need to leave more room for notes, which I added after the sketch...maybe leave bigger area to do that as I think of things while I draw so I don’t forget. Quantitative data was all estimated...take a little tape measure. I think a big rough, kind of minimalist sketch with expanded views of interesting areas would work better than a detailed overall sketch. Use a slightly bigger sketch book. Add color to sketches.

This was a very interesting exercise. Comparing really helped me focus on the differences where before I just noticed the similarities. I decided to do a balsam fir and spruce because while I can recognize them from a distance I continually confuse them when walking through the woods. Sitting down and drawing the bark and noting the growth pattern of the needles has helped fix it in my mind. Since it was cool sitting outside for an extended time I brought the spruce bough inside to sketch and did the fir from memory. However then I began to question the accuracy of the fir drawing. Bringing in a branch helped me look closely and more deeply at it. This is an exercise that I will continue to do. After looking at some of the other work I see how my records need more numerical data.

The comparison project fit perfectly with my desire to identify the center seedling. (For assurance about its ID I will wait until spring!) I needed to confirm the ID of the other two plants, also. This area of my front yard is recovering from damage during the Harvey storm in 2017 so I am observing those changes, doing a comparative study, and sketching.

I was very encouraged when I looked at the pages of my fellow students to try the colors and got very excited by the Koi Watercolors. I then added color to my last pages and what a difference it makes. I am also adding another attempt at the comparison study. I used two types of onions. the first is a sweet onion and the second is a yellow onion. I'm getting used to the colors and realize that the journal I am using doesn't have the greatest paper for watercolor. It is not a pure white page for one thing, and it doesn't release paint or blend like Archers which has been my favorite for years. I will try the ringed notebook that you recommended. This is my second comparison described above drawn January 27, 2020 at 2:00 inside on a very snowy day here in CO.  

The date is January, 26, 2020. I began drawing at 1:45 and finished at 2:25. It is a sunny, cold day with the wind blowing the light snow off the buildings so I stayed inside looking out the door to the balcony to our condo in Breckenridge, CO. I compared two evergreen trees: No. 1 is a Lodge pole pine, No. 2 is a Colorado blue spruce. The foliage is spare on the pine and my summation is that because it was formerly a forest the sunlight was restricted to the trees and so the foliage is always at the top third of the tree. The Spruce is denser and the needles as shorter than the pine, probably no more than an inch long on the longest, and the frond is probably anywhere from 3 inches to 10 with these needles coming out all sides of the frond. The branches start out sloping slightly down but then make a graceful turn upwards with continuous fronds of needles diminishing in length as the branch gets longer. The needles of the Pine are probably about three inches long and seem to stem from the end of a small twig which is attached to the larger branch. These larger branches slope down from the trunk of the tree and then make a graceful curve upward and are very wavy when the wind blows. The trunk of the pine is more warm brown, very rough with little holes in it probably form birds like the Cross Bills we saw pecking on the trees last fall. I think it is also Downy Woodpeckers who might make those holes. The bark of the Blue spruce seems to have small scale like flakes that are closely attached to the trunk. These seem to reflect the light when it falls on them through the dense branches. My drawing of the branches of the blue spruce doesn't give the effect of the denseness of the foliage, because I stopped with the detail and only drew the slope of the branches going out from the tree. Imagine the whole tree going to the ground with the density of the detail I drew in the top half of the picture. There were clumps of snow on occasional branches which held more than the smaller more individual foliage of the Lodge pole pine. This was a fun exercise to do and I will look forward to doing more when there are flower again in Colorado, or when I get home to Denver and my bird feeders.

I really enjoyed this journal practice.  I spent almost an hour observing and illustrating the bark of an American beech and White Pine bark.  The bark was strikingly different.  The beech bark had lots of lichens and I noticed that the majority of its lichens were black, spider-web like strands that branched out like club moss in different directions.  There were more lichens on the north side of the tree due to the moisture and coolness on that side.  The white pine had very thick, plate-like strips of bark that were very rough and had no lichens on it.  It was located next to the beech so even though they were in the same location, there were no lichens on it.  Very interesting to look so closely at the bark of two trees and to see the amazing colors and shapes. I like the idea of having more illustrations with some observations rather than writing.  I will probably continue my nature poetry and illustrations as part of my journal work as it brings in a spiritual aspect that does not occur when being more scientific about my journal and observations.  

I studied two kinds of hummingbirds at the feeders in Barbados. It took me a while to discover that there were really two types, and then I became more aware of their difference in size and in their beak shape. One kind that comes rarely has a crest- but only on the male- so then I realized that for some varieties I could differentiate not only their type but sex.

I made this comparison study of two October seeds, one is invasive and one is very necessary to our region.  I appreciated the time I spent counting the seeds inside the milkweed pod - and I do hope that those 30+ seeds will work their magic in my yard next spring.

I decided to draw from a couple of botanical prints since the weather outside is quite frightful, and thoughts of flowers give me hope through long winter evenings. The comparison study really helped me to focus on the details of the flower petals and stems, and then to wonder about how the differences worked to attract pollinators. Do the larger, flashier iris flowers attract larger pollinators than the delicate petals of myosotis? Why do  the smaller flowers grow in clumps of larger numbers of flowers than the more dramatic iris? The study definitely lead to lots of questions about form and function. I need to work on better organizing the written and drawn parts on the page.

Here is my comparison study. It's very cold here (on Cape Cod) and so I needed to run in and out of the house to check details. I am fascinated by lichens so I chose two different types growing on the same tree. I found pieces of the lichens (fluffy shrubby one is Usnea "old man's beard" and the flat, lobular is a Parmontrema) in the leaf litter on the ground and brought them inside, as it was impossible to sit outside in the freezing weather. Ended up using a magnifying glass to see exactly what was going on in detail. Challenges were the meticulous tiny details in which the different shading techniques we've learned came in very handy. But also I wanted to indicate the color and couldn't quite capture the chalky quality of their color.

Sketching forced me to look at the differences in detail of shape, color texture, etc.  Those differences made me wonder if they were a function of environment, eg, did they blend in better where they lived with those differences? Did they prefer different places? For example, the Box Crab prefers rocks & muddy bottoms, the Kelp Crab is found in the intertidal zone, the Red Rock Crab is found on jetties, intertidal pools & under & around rocks.

From Nov 15-25 I worked on a comparison study of 2 main species of duck- American black ducks and hooded mergansers  that have arrived to a local marsh over the past 2-3 weeks. I started taking the journal outside with the "sit spot" observation, then took it to several marsh area ponds where I found the ducks over several succeeding days. I learned a lot about how ducks feed and behave. Am. Blacks are rather sedentary and feed on the shorelines by ducking their heads or tipping up. They have broad flatish beaks. The hooded mergansers are 1/2-2/3 the size, are much more active, swimming extremely fast and diving for food further from shore frequently staying down 10-20 seconds and maybe more. Their beaks are small, long and narrow- maybe more functional for diving, catching and eating fish. They are more difficult to observe, seldom seen still, rarely sit on land,  generally stay further away more often feeding in the middle of water bodies. I did most of the writing and outline drawing outside  which makes the journal pages seem messy and unbalanced. Inside, I painted successively closer views of the ducks to try to capture some of the differences in form, function and behavior. I have never painted landscapes, when I tried,  I had no place to write. I will work on page balance. I will upload 3 images if it works: the sit spot; the duck comparison done outside, and the inside page done on 3 successive days.   ' I can't imagine dealing with the watercolor set outside. Maybe with a little luck and experimentation I will figure it out by spring. I am very much enjoying this course and seeing all of the beautiful and interesting work that the students are doing in their journals. It is eye-opening! Edith

Really enjoyed this exercise! I thought it would be interesting, but hadn't realized how many small details I never would've noticed otherwise. Especially on these two rather small plants that I wouldn't have studied otherwise. Can't wait to do more comparisons. My dad and I both drew the same plants and were able to compare what we noticed (he's enrolled in the course too). Super fun!

I tried out the watercolor with this comparison of two anemone species in my reef tank. Not a huge amount of detail described here on my page, but I think it was a worthwhile comparison. I could get more balance with the numerical data perhaps by making a data table. I

Too cold and damp to sit outside, so I brought two autumn leaves in. My first thoughts were, "Of course I know the difference between Walnut and Beech. But as I continued to study them, more and more details popped up, and with them, more and more questions. Some not noted on the page, for instance: Why is one stem long and the other short? Does that have to do with the leaf staying on the tree longer?

Comparison of our two cats:  Catherine et Tile Both were adopted from the SPA 3 years ago now. Catherine is round with short legs.  She has an amazing coat with swirls, dots, spots, and stripes. Apparently, swirls are a more recent adaptation in cat coats. Her legs are short and her tail is too thick and she chirps instead of meowing.  She's obsessed with her food. She is very social and she's quite entertaining.  She likes to live indoors, even though she has acess to outdoors when she wants through the cat door.  Her coat is smooth with almost a lanolin like feeling.  Hunting is not her idea of time well spent.  She goes outside only when absolutely necessary or to be with us when we are out there.  In the summer she enjoys survying her royaume from the wheelbarrow where she is off the ground and protected from all the scary things outside.   She does chase insects and one year nearly destroyed my daphne by jumping into it to catch the butterflies that were visiting its flowers. Tile is an outdoor cat.  He has very long legs.  When he runs; it's like watching a feather skipping along the ground.  In the summer he only comes in to eat.  He's a serious hunter.  He often brings me the mice he's caught, his loud voice annoucing his prize before I see him.  He has very long claws that are very sharpe.  He defends our yard from other cats.  He's very brave except when it comes to men.  He does not trust them, and perfers to hide rather than meet them.  When he first arrived he was very suspicious of everyone.  Now he's much better.  His coat is very soft with very fine hair that are longer than Catherine's.  His markings are like ticking, more like a wild cat.  His tail ends abruptly like it's been cut off.  It is often bent at the end as if it has been broken. I hope you can see in the sketches that they have very different morphology.

1. For years I've unknowingly been doing comparison studies [without having the terms to describe and enhanced knowledge of how to more properly sketch comparatively]. It was simply my curiosity to test the little I'd learned & my desire to make things better on my sketch pad. Using anchor points, her reminder to use what she already taught us about negative space and her willingness to use her ERASURE [as I made smudgy left-handed sketches] when we worked or were trying to clean things up on the pad will be always useful. 2, I've studied language & fancied myself a writer more than an artist, but after this class at Cornell I'm going to enjoy being both. With my memory problems [because of my epilepsy] Fuller's reminder to record dates, times & places my own sketch pad would make me a better  secretary that the writer & artist could use.

I did a comparison of winter buds from three different trees: oak, cottonwood, and sweetgum.  I was actually surprised with the differences I observed, and am starting to get into the habit of asking questions about nature differences in general.  For my journal, I actually prefer drawings over words, but did find the process of thinking about questions helped me to differentiate the buds in the drawings.

For my comparison sketch I tried comparing two very similar objects - Oak Leaves.  I was amazed at the differences between two objects that one might think are so similar.  I really enjoyed it, and will probably use this technique more often. My journal tends to be a mix of writing, drawing, and data.  It tends to vary depending on what I am observing.  This one was more drawing than writing.

I wasn't too excited about this exercise because it's dark and cold outside (Minnesota in November), but I found some seedheads in my little prairie. And, typical of this class, found that once I got started I loved it and am excited to do this again tomorrow.  Amazed at what I see when I take the time to slow down and look. I can see how this will help me improve my identifications.

I enjoy the comparison technique, need to go outside when the sun comes out.

Here I'm comparing the bark of three trees--an oak (about 15" in diameter), a young maple (about 9" in diameter), and a Ponderosa pine (also about 9-10" in diameter but older than the maple and much, much more deeply fissured).  Surprising to me was that the vertical-ish lines of the oak and pine had much more horizonal-ish hatching up close and the almost horizontal rings of the maple had much more vertical and web-like lines (very light, almost white) upon closer look. The oak bark reminded me of an Escher drawing--as if each "leg" of various "chromosome-shaped X's" blended into the next "X." This beautiful bark was much more challenging than I expected to draw! A process aside: I'm going to have to shift from pencil--all my pages are getting uniformly smudy!

This exercise made for way more questions. I took two samples from our yard of pine trees. They were very different and provided lots of points of comparisons. When I went to identify them, it was not so easy. As it turns out there are a lot of pine trees in the state of Colorado. I identified them as Blue Spruce and Ponderosa Pine, but there were also other pines they might have been i.e. Scotch Pine. When I googled Ponderosa Pine it mentioned that the bark might smell like vanilla or butterscotch. Sure enough when I scrapped the bark it smelled like vanilla. (Power of suggestion?) The Blue Spruce did have a distinctive smell. Did that come from the needles or sap? I do enjoy trying to render these exercises in watercolor. I think my blue spruce needles could have used a little more blue in the green. I also enjoyed learning the names for the different parts of the pinecones and needles.

I set out to do a comparison study not knowing what I would find. Comparing these two similar birds got me thinking why the markings around their eyes are similar and how it is beneficial to them. I think when it comes to balancing writing, drawing and recording numerical data, my particular style will develop over time. As for now, I concentrate on the illustration and make comments and markings as I go.

It is snowing in TN, so my comparison is with house plant and cut flower. This is a perfect exercise on comparison. I found a plant that grows in clumps and then a single strong stem supporting a clump flower head. I really enjoyed the comparison.

Fun exercise for a cold, snowy day!

Looking at two different items with the intent to draw them to show their differences certainly does slow me down and fine tune my observation skills. And while I was able to basically sketch the differences in color and anatomy, I just don’t have the artistic skills to make the images more interesting and three dimensional and lifelike, so that frustrates me. The act of trying to draw each set of flowers and leaves does help imprint on my mind the differences between the two, but if I waited a while before using a key to key them out, I wonder if the drawings would be sufficient to prompt my memory about the details. 

Since most plants are dead here, I chose to compare two rocks. I thought that it would be hard to find a lot of information on them, but when I dove deeper, there were lots of hidden details. This was a very meaningful exercise. I think that we go by so many beautiful things each day, that we don't take enough time to look at the details. This got me in the headspace to become more motivated, and it was also quite relaxing.

There’s so much information I want to get in that it’s hard to get it on the page, and between my lack of drawing practice and a certain rush to do the work, the art is literally sketchy. Even working as quickly as I could, this took me about an hour and a half. But I really enjoy the chance to observe. I spend a lot of time grubbing up Bermuda grass and crab grass, so this was a “know thy enemy” exercise. By the time I was done I at least appreciated the structure of both grasses and understood a bit better how they spread. And I’d never noticed the pretty purple on some of the Bermuda grass stems before. Now I’m curious why some are purple and some aren’t.

I have been waiting for my weekend to do this. Finally, it is Saturday but it was 12 degrees this morning! So I went to pick up some freshly fallen leaves in my yard. I picked up 2 very different leaves fallen from one of my purple Smoke bushes. They are quite distinct, which really intrigues me since they come from the same tree. The mise-en-page is quite improvised, a bit messy, I had a lot of descriptions to record and not enough room on my small pad. I’ve got to think of that next time. Anyway, here they are. Nice seeing everyone’s work. Thanks for sharing y’all. Isabelle

This was my first comparison study and I enjoyed the experience. No doubt, even though my fingers felt warm upon starting, had they not cooled off 30 minutes later then I would still be outdoors sketching and observing. This comparison study of grasses reminded me that comparing and contrasting can be a highly effective way to learn about something. The questions that arose are mainly based around the labeling of parts - flowers, stalks, stems, leaves, grass - I do not know what to properly name each part of the grasses. Had my fingers not gotten cold, I would have mustered the umph to draw a close up of each grass's flowers. They have similarities but are not the same. I like sketching what I see, labeling parts and then using the drawing and my observations to prompt my words. This lets me practice the skill - drawing - that I'm trying to learn. I incorporated numerical data, which likely would not have happened if this exercise had been done without seeing Liz's modeling it in her example. Certainly, the use of numerical data adds credence to a scientific observation, while also enhancing the descriptiveness of what is being viewed. FYI I am thoroughly enjoying myself in this course! I set aside time each weekend to do one or two parts of a chapter, not wanting to rush on any given day and hoping to make this class last well into December. Thank you Liz and Bird Academy!

I guess I like to work big!  I compared 3 seed heads / pods as it's winter and NO flowers, even the leaves are all gone.  This was very fun and I did get to wonder about prickles, opposite vs. alternate leaves (I could tell by the attachment points that remained) and stem striations.  I liked having all the information, drawing, writing, as well as a little bit about size.  This lesson was very useful for me to think about all the things that can vary from subject to subject.  

I have really enjoyed the comparison drawings.  It has created a deeper layer of observation and patience.  I found this beautiful Maple leaf on a hike and brought it home to draw; then, a few days later found the Oak leaf.  Both leaves were inspiring in different ways.  Thank you for this exercise!

  I really enjoyed drawing these 2 flowers.  I used a picture that I took back in September.  There was enough information in the picture that I took to record the flowers and the leaves for each plant.  This was really fun.  I will be doing more of these types of studies.  Thank you!

I enjoyed this comparison study as it encouraged me to focus on fine details of each leaf. Autumn is the best season to study leaf structures and color changes. This study allowed me to ask very curiously questions, such as why the color changes of each leaf are different and how the cooler temperatures affect this change. After completing each drawing, I found myself returning to add more detail.

I am enjoying comparison studies, I have been focusing on patterns and got out my hand lens recently for closer looks.  I found that acorns have more texture to them than is obvious to the naked eye and that pine cones are really hard to draw.

I think making the comparisons helped me pay more attention to the details. Writing and recording numerical data provide information I am unable to successfully show in my drawings. As my drawing skills improve, I will probably incorporate less writing and data.  

1) I compared two plants on my deck. I am a beginner at sketching and it took me a lot of time. I enjoyed it so much but this did make me wonder how I can adapt my work for going out in the field--my goal for my nature journal. I know that practice will help me work more efficiently, but are there other things I can do to capture important points about the subjects in a shorter time period? Birds are not going to sit still for me. I continue to be surprised by just how much more I observe when I draw. Drawing also gives me more time to think about questions I have. I have a biology background, so I think my observational skills are quite good. However, this study showed me just how much more I can grow in this regard. 2)This question of balance is key for me. When I finished drawing, I first thought I was done until I realized I had done no writing! Quantitative data is important, but asking questions led me to go back and do even more observations. I have an additional page or writing I didn't upload. In the earlier video on journal styles, one person had lots of boxes on her pages. I think this might be useful for me to use this more to force me to have a box for quantitative data, one for qualitative observations, one for questions , etc.

Another rainy day comparison.  I used a hand lens to look closely at the two plants.

Today was way to smokey to go outside but I had these pine cones as part of an indoor arrangement.  Watching our instructor draw her comparisons really helped me.  I have very little experience and learned a lot from watching her.

I have been putting this off because of rain and then we had a hard freeze last night so there went the flowers.  So I chose the berries.  This assignment is great because it is really helping me to be more observant.  I'm having fun with these challanges.