The Naturalist's Notebook

This one-of-a-kind guide instructs readers in honing their nature observation skills, with a five-year journal format to create a long-term record of the patterns, highlights, and changes in their own backyards — from the date of the first frost to when summer fireflies appear.

“How often do you literally stop and smell the roses? According to The Naturalist's Notebook, probably not often enough. With this as your guide, you'll develop the resources to be in tune with nature year after year. Co-authors Nathaniel T. Wheelwright and Bernd Heinrich encourage mindfulness, curiosity and respect for Mother Nature as ways to explore your natural surroundings. Once you learn to be observant, you can recognize nature's rhythm every year. Have daffodils been blooming? When do birds begin their migration south? By recording noteworthy events over time, you learn how to make sense of your observations and use them to develop new knowledge, including recognizing environmental changes. Bernd Heinrich's lovely illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to Wheelwright's thoughtful guidance. Journal entries encourage naturalists to take note of significant natural events, allowing for a five-year retrospective that documents nature in all of its glory. This delightful resource for connecting with nature will please children and adults alike.” — Shelf Awareness for Readers

“A marvelous guide to curiosity and wonder, full of brilliant and inspiring advice from two of our generation’s most accomplished naturalists.”  — David George Haskell, Pulitzer-nominated author of The Forest Unseen and The Songs of Trees
 
“It’s hard to imagine a more splendid book. Get out in the woods and fields with this volume as your constant inspiration!” — Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
 
“Whether you’re a budding nature lover or an expert naturalist, this outstanding guide is sure to ignite your curiosity and deepen your connection with the natural world. It’s a full dose of Vitamin N.” — Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, The Nature Principle, and Vitamin N

“When it comes to protecting the lands and waters that sustain us all, individual actions can add up to a big impact. Wheelwright and Heinrich have created a unique and practical tool that will deepen anyone’s connection to nature — and underscore the urgency of the actions we all can take to protect it.” — Mark R. Tercek, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy and author of Nature’s Fortune
 
“There is so much around us, but seeing is a skill. It takes practice and a little devotion. A mentor helps as a guide to assist in framing your observational skills. In this book, two of the best possible mentors have given us just such a guide. Pay attention and use this book. You’ll have terrific fun with it.” — Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel
 
“This wonderful book is really about the power of curiosity and passion; two expert naturalists sharing their inspiration and guidance to turn simple observations into a deeper understanding of the world around us.” — David Allen Sibley, author and illustrator, The Sibley Guide to Birds

Nathaniel T. Wheelwright is coauthor of The Naturalist’s Notebook with Bernd Heinrich. He is the Bass Professor of Natural Sciences at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. The 2015 winner of the Ecological Society of America’s Odum Award for Excellence in Ecology Education, he is also the author of numerous scientific publications and co-editor of Monteverde: Ecology and Conservation of a Tropical Cloud Forest.

Bernd Heinrich is coauthor of The Naturalist’s Notebook with Nathaniel T. Wheelwright and author of more than 20 books on nature, including Mind of the Raven, Winter World, and One Wild Bird at a Time, which are illustrated with his own pen-and-ink drawings and watercolor. Heinrich is Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University of Vermont and is the winner of the PEN New England Book Award for nonfiction and the John Burroughs Medal for Nature Writing. He lives in Maine.