With the approach of Midsummer, or Summer Solstice, the sun is staying up in our Northern Hemisphere skies longer and longer each day. With these longer day hours, I often have to remind myself to take breaks, pace myself, as the short days of winter when I wanted to wring every last drop of daylight out of a day are well behind us, at least for these quick summer months. One of the ways that I take breaks is by allowing myself to be stopped by wonder. Why hurry when it’s hot and humid, and there is so much happening in the natural world to enjoy?

Whether it’s the emerging praying mantis, clustering in bundles along the pine needles (eating each other), or the spectacular details of a pink and yellow Rosy Maple Moth clinging to a white clover stem as shade turns to evening. Sometimes, I track the new growth on a plant or tree for a few days, inspired by their ability to change so quickly. Other times, I may watch for the moon, guessing the phase that it is most likely in, what time it will rise or set, and seeing how accurate I can get.

One of my new favorite habits, though, is to create funny little maps of my favorite places. This week, I decided to draw an accurate map of my home place by tracing a printed out Google map, locating the edges and the buildings, then creating a ‘tree map’ that is not really accurate, but more in the spirit of marking the trees that I know. Each time I attempt to list the trees here, either species or specific trees, I am amazed at how many trees are here, many of which I have planted, but also how many trees I do not really know yet. There are many oaks that I know are, well, oaks, but not their official or scientific names. Other trees have a pet name, like ‘Ye Olde Oak’, and ‘Johnny Walnut’, and oft-told stories to go along with them…they are family members.

To commemorate the tree map, I folded it using a Turkish Map Fold, and created a cover with some cut-and-glue supplies that I enjoy, and signed and dated it…a piece of mini-art, nature journal style.

If you’d like to explore this idea, think about where you have been spending your time, whether it is at your home, a preserve, your town or neighborhood….you can make a map of anything, even your house or office or desk. There are no rules. I listed out all of the tree species that I could think of that happen to be here, surrounding the drawing. Follow whatever inspiration is calling to you. Turkish Map Fold Instructions can be found at this link.

The Turkish Map Fold is a simple fold. With the directions generously shared from Green Chair Press Blog, you’ll be able to follow right along, especially if you make your paper square. (There is a link for rectangular, too.) The cover can be anything you’d like…I used a short essay by Sparrow torn out of a magazine years ago and some green striped paper made by an artist friend to mimic the lines of a lawn mower on grass. (Not exactly what goes on at my wild home, but it’s humorous to match the writing.) I use UHU Glue Sticks to put everything together, but any glue will work.

While we’re trying a small Nature Journal Group gathering in June at Cool Spring Preserve, if there is still interest, we will continue both the in-person gatherings and the online journal prompts. If you’re able to join us, I look forward to seeing you at Cool Spring, and hopefully we can slowly and carefully find ways to spend some time in the same vicinity, spread out across the preserves that we so love.

I look forward to seeing you there, or seeing what you do with the Turkish Map Fold…or both!