This morning I started a long-thought of project designed in my mind many years ago while living in a neighboring town - to do a formal study of all the plants and observe as many birds and animals as possible over the course of a year and compile some sort of scrapbook that might include sketches and photographs as well as some short stories or poems. For whatever reason, I never did start the project but it has resurfaced many times over the years. Last year we talked about doing it together, but again for some reason never did it.
Today we started the project by collecting several samples, mostly of flowering plants but also of some non-flowering specimens. We have a press made of hardwood floor samples that we secure with clamps. A journal will note weather conditions and locations of collection sites. We will attempt to photograph birds and other non-specimen data as much as possible. By conducting the project over the course of the year, we hope to have a broad base of information to use as comparison in the future as well as establish long term awareness and connection to the natural world around us. Although we are fortunate to live in the woods, this kind of project could be done anywhere - in your yard, in a neighboring park, or a wildlife area. While it can be conducted as a solo project, sharing the process strengthens connections within a family or a community. Have any blog-readers out there done something like this? Ideas or suggestions?
Delphiniums & Daisies is a contradance written by Tanya Rosenberg.
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