A nature journal page can be as simple as one sketch, a few observations, and a question you want to answer later. It does not need to look like a finished illustration or carefully designed sketchbook spread.
My own pages usually mix drawings, short written observations, questions, weather, location, and whatever else helps me remember what I noticed. Nature journaling has become especially useful while traveling because it gives me a reason to slow down and pay attention to details I might otherwise walk past.
Below are 10 nature journal examples based on ways I use my own journal. You can copy the basic format, change the subject, or combine several approaches on one page.
| Nature journal example | What goes on the page |
|---|---|
| Simple observation | One subject, sketch, notes and questions |
| Themed study | Several examples of one type of subject |
| Trip or hike spread | Multiple observations from one outing |
| Sensory snapshot | Sounds, smells, textures and visual notes |
| One square foot study | Close observation of a very small area |
| Cloud study | Changing sky conditions over time |
| Night journal | Silhouettes, sounds and nocturnal activity |
| Urban nature journal | Wildlife and plants inside a built environment |
| Weather tracking | Repeated observations from the same location |
| Animal behavior notes | Repeated sketches and behavior observations |
1. A Simple Nature Observation Page
This is probably the most basic nature journal entry I make.
I stop when one thing catches my attention and build the entire page around it. It could be a bird, snail, flower, insect, rock, seed pod, or anything else that makes me look twice.
For example, a page about a garden snail might include:
- Location: neighborhood sidewalk
- Drawing: a small sketch of the snail
- Observation: antennae retract when I move closer
- Another detail: slime trail catches the sunlight
- Question: Why are snails easier to find after rain?
I like this format because I do not need enough material to fill an elaborate spread. One small observation is enough.
2. A Themed Nature Journal Study
Instead of studying one object, I sometimes choose a category and compare several examples on the same page.
One example is a page devoted to leaf shapes in winter.
- draw several different leaves
- label them when I know the species
- compare their edges and overall shapes
- note differences in color or texture
- write down anything I want to identify later
The subject could just as easily be feathers, shells, mushrooms, animal tracks, seeds, tree bark, or different kinds of clouds.
If you need subjects to start a study like this, my nature journaling prompts give you more possibilities.
3. A Nature Journal Spread From a Hike or Trip
When I am traveling or spending most of a day outside, I sometimes use the page to remember the outing rather than focus on a single subject.
On a coastal trail in Oregon, for example, a spread could include several small pieces of the experience:
- a rough trail map
- wave shapes
- bird tracks
- seaweed
- a note that the day was windy and cold
- observations about gulls overhead
- a question about the kelp washed onto shore
I do not try to record everything. A handful of observations usually brings the experience back more clearly than attempting to document every detail.
4. A Sensory Nature Journal Page
Not every nature journal example has to revolve around drawing.
Sometimes I sit in one place and make the page about what I can hear, smell, feel, and see.
In a forest clearing near a stream, that could become:
- a small map showing where I am sitting
- arrows showing the direction of wind
- marks showing where bird calls are coming from
- notes about the smell of pine needles
- the sound of moving water
- the feeling of insects crawling nearby
- questions about the trees or animals around me
A page like this can contain very little conventional artwork and still be a useful nature journal entry.
5. A One-Square-Foot Study
When a landscape feels too large to deal with, I reduce it dramatically.
I choose roughly one square foot of ground and study only what is inside it.
In a roadside field near a campsite, I might find several grasses, tiny flowers, damp soil, roots, beetles, and ants inside that small area.
The page might include a rectangular sketch of the area, small detail drawings, counts, labels, and questions such as:
- How many types of grass can I see?
- Where are the insects concentrated?
- Is the soil equally damp throughout the area?
- Which plant do these roots belong to?
This is one of my favorite ways to prove that I do not need an impressive landscape to find something worth recording.
6. A Cloud Journal Page
Clouds work well when I want to journal without traveling anywhere.
I can watch them from a balcony or window and make several quick studies as the sky changes.
One page might contain five small cloud sketches with timestamps:
- 8:00 AM: thin, fast-moving clouds
- 10:30 AM: larger shapes beginning to build
- Noon: more layered cloud cover
- Late afternoon: changing light and stronger shadows
- Sunset: pink and orange color notes
I am less concerned with making a polished cloud painting than recording how quickly the same sky changes.
7. A Nighttime Nature Journal Entry
Journaling after dark changes what I pay attention to.
There is less visual information, so silhouettes, sounds, temperature, and movement become more important.
Outside my tent under a full moon, for example, I might record:
- the silhouette of a pine against the moon
- cool air
- crickets
- a bat passing overhead
- how often I see the bat
- a question about which bat species lives in the area
The page may be mostly writing with one dark shape, and that is enough.
8. An Urban Nature Journal Example
Nature journaling does not require wilderness.
I find plenty to record in cities because plants and animals are constantly interacting with the built environment.
At a downtown intersection, a journal entry could include:
- a weed growing through a sidewalk crack
- a pigeon sitting on a traffic light
- sparrows using a bus shelter
- moss along the bottom of a building
- questions about how those species survive in heavily developed places
I like this kind of page because it changes the assumption that I have to travel somewhere special before opening my journal.
9. A Weather Tracking Spread
A repeated observation can be more interesting than a one-time entry.
For a weather page, I return to the same location at roughly the same time for several days.
I might divide the page into a grid and record:
- date and time
- small sky sketch
- temperature if I know it
- sun or cloud cover
- wind direction
- how the conditions feel
- anything unexpected
The interesting part is comparing entries. Changes that seem insignificant on one morning become much easier to notice when several days sit beside one another.
10. Animal Behavior Notes
If I repeatedly see the same animal, I use the journal to record behavior rather than trying to make one finished wildlife drawing.
For example, I have watched a scrub jay around a campground and recorded several different moments:
- perched on a log
- in flight
- returning to a perch
- calling loudly
- quiet periods between calls
- apparently storing food near roots
That naturally creates questions: Is it the same bird each day? What is it storing? Does it return to the same locations?
The sketches can stay quick because the behavior is the important part. If animal drawing is something you want to develop further, my animal drawing guides go deeper into drawing wildlife itself.
What Should a Nature Journal Entry Include?
Looking across these examples, I tend to return to the same handful of ingredients.
- Date and time
- Location
- Weather or conditions
- One or more sketches
- Written observations
- Questions
- Labels, counts, measurements, maps, or color notes when useful
I do not force every entry to contain all of these. A five-minute bird sketch and two sentences can be just as useful as a full spread.
Sketches, Words and Questions Can Share the Same Page
One of the biggest changes in my own journaling was realizing that the drawings did not have to carry the entire page.
If something moves before I can finish drawing it, I can describe what I saw. If I do not recognize a species, I can write a question instead of stopping to identify it immediately. If color seems important, I can add a small swatch instead of painting the whole subject.
The page becomes a record of paying attention rather than a finished artwork.
Try Repeating the Same Type of Entry
Some of my most useful journal pages make more sense as a series.
I can return to the same tree each season, observe the same bird several mornings in a row, track one patch of ground, or make repeated cloud studies.
Repeating the subject makes change easier to see and gives me something concrete to compare.
You Do Not Need to Make Your Pages Look Like These
These nature journal examples are formats, not templates that have to be copied exactly.
Your pages might contain mostly writing, mostly drawing, tiny diagrams, watercolor, maps, lists, or quick notes that only make sense to you.
If you are completely new to the practice, my nature journaling guide explains how I start an entry and what I pay attention to outside.
And if the problem is not how to arrange a page but simply deciding what to observe next, use one of my nature journaling prompts as the starting point.