Tag: Willow

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Autumn Willow Tree Nature Study and Printable

Autumn is a wonderful time of year for discovery, picnics, and tree studies! We created an Autumn Willow Tree Printable for you to enjoy before winter settles.

Enjoy the Autumn Willow Nature Study and printables for sketching, sharing, and learning about trees this fall.

What is a Willow Tree?

Did you know there are more than 200 different species of willow trees? But all willows have a few things in common: abundant watery bark sap, which is heavily charged with salicylic acid, soft, usually pliant tough wood, slender branches, and large fibrous often stoloniferous roots – which means they grow along the ground.

Willow wood is used to make baskets, furniture, toys, and fishing nets. The wood is too soft for lumber, but it is popular for wickerwork. In ancient times, people chewed willow bark to treat fevers and rheumatic pains. The bark contains salicylic acid, which is the basis for modern aspirin.

Enjoy the Autumn Willow Nature Study and free printables for sketching, sharing, and learning about trees this fall.

Autumn Willow Nature Study and Printable for Members

If you do not live near Willow Trees, print the Under the Fallen Leaves worksheet.

Autumn Willow Tree notebooking page: Use this page to record your autumn willow observations. This can be the start of a year long/four seasons study of willows for your family. I will be reminding you each season to make some notes about your willow tree.

Under the Fallen Leaves notebooking page: Take a few minutes to look under the leaves in your yard or a near-by park. What do you see there? Create a sketch and describe what you saw, felt, and smelled during your outdoor time.

Pine Trees and Pine Cones Nature Study

More pine trees in your neck of the woods? Enjoy this Pine Trees & Pine Cones Nature Study.

More Fall Homeschool Nature Study Fun!

Keep the apple and pumpkin nature study fun going with these resources for all ages:

Join the Homeschool Nature Study Membership

There are so many benefits to joining. You will access our full range of curriculum, our interactive learning calendar as well as a brand new homeschool nature study challenge post each week!

Find Out More About Homeschool Nature Study Membership!

Original post written by Barb 2018, updated by Stef Layton 2024.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge Summer Willow Year-Long Study

We’re coming up to our fourth and final willow tree study in our Year-Long Tree Study. Take some time this week to revisit your willow tree and make your summertime observations. You may wish to pull out your autumn, winter, and/or springtime observations to make some comparisons.

If this is the first time you’re studying a willow, follow the link to the challenge in the archives for suggestions to get started.  All of the previous season’s studies are listed below for your convenience.

Outdoor Hour Challenge summer willow study

 

Link to the challenges in the archives:

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Summer Willow Study

The Summer Willow study is found in the Summer Nature Study Continues ebook. If you have access to this ebook in your Ultimate or Journey level membership, make sure to print out the notebook page that goes along with this challenge.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Summer Nature Study Continues ebook

Outdoor Hour Challenge Tree Nature Study Index @handbookofnaturestudy

You’ll also find a complete list of tree nature study lessons (for every tree in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock) here on this link.

Links to prior season’s Outdoor Hour Challenges:

Autumn Willow Nature Study

Winter Willow Nature Study

Spring Willow Nature Study

Summer Tree Study @handbookofnaturestudy

Don’t have a willow?

Complete a summer tree study for any tree you found during your outdoor time.

Seasonal Tree Study Notebook Page from Handbook of Nature Study

 

 

 

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Our Spring Willow Observations

 

willow spring observations 2019

We had so much snow a few weeks ago that I didn’t think we would see the ground again for a long time. But, during the last week or so the rains have come with warmer temperatures and melted the large mounds of snow. Now that the ground is exposed, we’re beginning to see signs of spring like sprouts of green grass, green leaves of the lilies and other wildflowers poking up through the grass, and the increase in birds that stop by the water and in the grass. What a welcome sight!

willow spring observations 2019 string

We had a chance to go out between rain showers to look at our willow for signs of spring. We had to find the willow with our string attached and it took a bit of navigating to get to it with the standing water from the melted snow and rain. We got fairly close to the willow and it looks slightly greener on the limbs and the buds are getting larger. We also observed some red-winged blackbirds in the area, both by hearing their song and seeing them sitting the willows.

willow spring observations 2019

We’ll soon be seeing new leaves appear on the willows but not quite yet.

willow spring observations 2019

 

This photo was taken a week after the ones in the beginning of this entry. Look how high the river has come up since then!

The most exciting thing we spotted during our walk was a Belding’s ground squirrel racing from his hole to eat under our birdfeeder. We stopped and watched him with his curiously short tail and chubby body. He evidently ate well all holed up in his den this past season.

Now all we need is for the return of the elk and it will really feel like springtime.

 

Outdoor Hour Challenge Spring Willow Nature Study

If you’d like to join me in a spring willow study, you can click over to see the original challenge. It’s not too late to get started with a yearlong study of willows!

 

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New Printables for Members – March 2019

Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:

New Notebook Pages: Spring Willow Study and Spring Cattail Study

Spring Cattail Observation notebook pageSpring Willow Study notebook page

(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)

Spring Willow Study: Use this simple notebook page to record your spring willow observations of the bud and catkin. 

Spring Cattail Study: Here is a new page for you to use after you make your spring cattail observations.

Note: If you have any subjects you would like me to create nature notebook pages for, please let me know in a comment here on the blog or in an email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

 

Printables for Members Button

Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

Use the discount code NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!

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New! Spring Willow Nature Study

 

 

“As early in March as is practicable, have the pupils gather twigs of as many different kinds of willows as can be found; these should be put in jars of water and placed in a warm, sunny window. The catkins will soon begin to push out from the bud scales, and the whole process of flowering may be watched.”

Handbook of Nature Study

 Outdoor Hour Challenge Spring Willow Nature Study

Start Here: Willow Nature Study – Handbook of Nature Study Lesson 179, suggested observations 1-7 (pages 651-655)

Pay particular attention to the Method section and the Observation suggestions #1-7 in Lesson 179 for specific spring willow study ideas. The leading questions in this lesson will help you carefully observe the pollen-bearing flowers of the willow. Record your answers to the questions in your nature journal.

If you’re just starting a year-long willow study, spring will give you lots to learn and appreciate about this interesting subject. Then, when summer rolls around, you can make some comparisons.

 

Spring Willow Study notebook page

If you’re a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, there’s a notebook page you can use to record your spring willow nature study observations.

 

Links to prior season’s Outdoor Hour Challenges:

Autumn Willow Nature Study

Winter Willow Nature Study

Both of the OHCs linked above have a printable notebook page in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships.

 

Prior Willow Study Activity:

autumn willow with twine on limb

  • If you already started this activity, make sure to take some spring observations.
  • If you’re just getting started with your willow study, here’s the suggested activity: Tie a string on a twig attached to your willow and then observe and record in your nature journal the twig’s changes for a few months.

 

Spring Ebooks Graphic button

There are many more spring related nature study ideas in the four ebooks shown above. You can find them in the Ultimate Naturalist membership library.

 

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

Use discount code OHC10 for $5 off any membership!

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Nature Observer – January 2019

Nature Journal Project

This month is a fresh start to my nature journaling journey. I’m keeping several different journals as a way to become more of a naturalist specializing in my own habitat. This just feels like it’s the right time.

what is a naturalist button

Although I’m still trying to keep things simple, I’ve created a new routine for recording my daily notes and statistics as a way to reach my Nature Study Goals for 2019.

Daily Notebooks

Every day I create a brief entry in the Naturalist Notebook which is really a five year record of daily details. You can see in the image how there is a very small box for each day running across the page. Then, down the column will be where I fill in information over the next four years. This way you can compare the daily events from year to year. Right now it feels very ambitious but I’ve learned that if you take it one day at a time it isn’t such a huge project.

The second place I’m recording daily information is in this planner/notebook. It has larger spaces for me to include more details or thoughts for each day. I’m still deciding if I like this particular notebook for this purpose, but time will tell if it works for me.

Note: It’s an 18-month calendar and so the first part has been unused. I’m trying to decide if I should just remove the pages or repurpose them in some way.

This entry includes affiliate links to Amazon.com.

Field Notebook

I have yet to make a single record in my field notebook. It’s super cold when I go outside and I usually wear gloves. This makes it hard to take the notebook and pencil out. That’s a pretty bad excuse for not giving this tool a try and I will be working on doing better. Maybe I should wear my fingerless gloves when I go out on my walks.

Personal Nature Journal

This is where I’ve really stepped up my nature journaling game this year. I’ve gone ahead and prepared several introductory pages for the year and then planned a few pages for January ahead of time.

If you follow me on Instagram, I’ll be sharing the month’s pages at the end of each month in a video along with an explanation.

winter willow nature journal

Here’s an example of one of my January pages sharing my winter willow observations. You can see that I’ve switched to a larger size page for this year just to switch things up.

river otter nature journal

I have some of the pages planned out, but there’s still room to add in things that spring up during our nature walks like the river otter scampering across the icy river with a fresh fish in his mouth. What a great experience!

Al in all, I think I’ve been successful in getting started with my new routine of nature journaling. It takes a few minutes a day to keep up with the daily notes and maybe 30 minutes or so to create a new nature journal page in my personal journal. With this little effort, I’m loving the feeling of getting to know my habitat better with each passing week. Using the Outdoor Hour Challenges gives me a framework and inspiration to learn something new! This knowledge is not only fun to learn but very encouraging to pass along to my friends and family.

Be Inspired! Be Encouraged! Get Outdoors!

Getting Started with Nature Journals

Do you want some more specific nature journal ideas? Click over to my nature journal page and scroll down for the Once-a-Month Nature Journal Project idea buttons. There’s a lot there to keep you busy!

 

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudyThere are many, many nature journal ideas included in the archives of the Handbook of Nature Study newsletters. If you have any level of membership, make sure to download the newsletter index to make finding a topic easy.

Newsletter Index download

 

 

 

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Our Winter Willow Observations-Buds, Galls, and Beavers

This was the week we made our winter willow observations. It’s been cold and snowy, but we put on our boots and hiked out to the willow we tied the string onto earlier in autumn. I’m glad we marked it with a string back in the autumn because right now all the willows look very similar.

12 31 18 winter willow study gall (2)

 

Here’s a photo of the willow, leafless and bare except for a few straggly brown leaves.

12 31 18 winter willow study gall (3)

 

Isn’t this color amazing? From a distance the willows are a rusty red but up close they are a bright orange. There are small buds just waiting to burst open once the season turns warmer.

12 31 18 winter willow study gall (5)

It was exciting to find a rose shaped insect gall on a branch. I learned all about this interesting creation last year and it’s still thrilling to discover another one this season.

12 31 18 winter willow study gall (1)

It looks like a wooden rose on the willow…so pretty.

 

12 31 18 winter willow study gall (4)

It’s no surprise to us that the beavers have been harvesting branches from the willows since the autumn season. You can see the evidence of their work in the image above. This is just another chapter in our beaver story…I’ve grown to appreciate their part of the habitat and its changing development.

It’s never too late to start your own year-long willow study, even if you didn’t start it back in autumn. Pick up here and join us! Click the graphic below to go to the original winter study challenge here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter Willow StudyPerhaps you don’t have any willows to study in your neighborhood, but I invite you to take a look at the winter seasonal nature study ideas I’ve collected over the years. You may just find a topic that interests your family and you can get started with your own year-long study. Click the graphic below and see the complete list.

Seasonal+Topics+Reminders+Winter+@handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com.jpg

Winter Season Nature Study – Seasonal Ideas

 

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New! Winter Willow Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter Willow Study

This is the second in a series of willow studies that will guide you through a complete year of observing a local willow. The Autumn Willow Study featured the changing color of the foliage and the willow’s shape. Now, in the winter season, we will look at its twigs and buds.

Start Here: Willow Nature Study – Handbook of Nature Study Lesson 179 (pages 651-655)

12 31 18 winter willow study gall (5)

Pay particular attention to suggestions #2 and #12 in Lesson 179 for specific winter-related willow study ideas.

12 31 18 winter willow study gall (1)

You may also wish to look for galls on your willow. They are shaped like little wooden roses and are created by an insect during the summer.

12 31 18 winter willow study gall (3)

Activity: Tie a string on a twig attached to your willow. Observe and record in your nature journal the twig’s changes for a few months. You can see our autumn willow study here in this entry: Beginning a Year Long Willow Study.

Winter Willow Study Twigs and Buds notebook page

Both Ultimate and Journey level members here on the Handbook of Nature Study have access to a new winter willow notebooking page for recording your winter observations. Look for it in your printable library.

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

If you want to become a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you can click the Join Us button for more details. Benefits include those shown above including access to ebooks, notebooking pages, archived newsletters, and new ebooks and printables published during your membership.

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New Printables for January

 

Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:

Bark Patterns * Winter Willow Study * Shivering

I’m excited to share 3 new notebooking pages with members here on the Handbook of Nature Study! These will spice up your January nature study sessions as you look at some winter-related topics.

(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)

 Bark Patterns Notebook Page

Winter Willow Study Twigs and Buds notebook page

Shivering in Animals notebook page

Bark Patterns Notebook Page: With most trees stripped bare of leaves before spring, right now is a great time to get a good look at the wonderful variations of pattern, color and texture that form the trunks and branches of local urban trees. With a little practice, you’ll be able to easily identify many local tree species by name just by looking at their bark. Here is a website you may wish to look at: Tree Bark and Twig Guide.

 Winter Willow Study Notebook Page: Twigs and Buds: We will be continuing our seasonal willow study in January and this notebook page is perfect for recording your willow observations! You can see the Autumn Willow Nature Study for more willow study ideas.

Shivering Notebook Page: Have you ever wanted to learn more about why animals shiver? This notebook page will get you started and then give you a place to write down all the interesting things you learn.

Note: If you have any subjects you would like me to create nature notebook pages for, please let me know in a comment here on the blog or in an email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

Printables for Members Button

Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.

 

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

Use the discount code NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!

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Beginning a Year Long Willow Study

Willows in our autumn landscape are a colorful accent, lining the river’s edge and adding a rich reddish orange as you look off into the distance. There are still a few leaves left on the willows and the limbs and branches are a yellow color.

Autumn willows along the river

As part of our autumn study, we picked a willow to use as our subject for a year-long willow study. We tied a piece of twine on a branch to help us remember which willow we are observing.

autumn willow with twine on limb

We have done this activity before with a birch tree. Having a piece of twine on a branch really helped us focus on watching for changes from season to season. I invite you to read this entry for the specific instructions for this kind of tree study: Twigs.

 birch tree twig study with twine

If you would like to start a yearlong study of willows, you’re welcome to click over to read the challenge from last week. It’s not too late to get outside looking for willows, learning about willows, and beginning a valuable nature study of willows.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Autumn Willow Nature Study

Please note there is an Autumn Willow notebooking page in the Ultimate and Journey level membership libraries. You can print it and use it for your nature journal.

Autumn Willow Tree notebook page