~ A Sketchnote about “fluffy, healthy, living soils” *

This year I’ve been digging soil, both literally and figuratively. Learning about soil…what it is, how it works, why it matters…just lights up my brain and makes me hungry for more.

I use sketchnotes to solidify what I’m learning, and to celebrate the information in a visual way. So of course, here is the sketchnote about soil. Maybe this is the first of a series, since there’s a ton of fascinating info about soil, from soil science to soil conservation (which I just learned about today, thank you Georgeanne. 😉

The sources for this sketchnote are:

• California Naturalist Handbook, published by UC Press
• QWEL (Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper) Reference Manual [pdf]
• QWEL facilitator Lori Palmquist, Irrigation Geek Extraordinaire!
• Annie Novak‘s session on How to Read a Landscape, hosted by Atlas Obscura
• U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Services soil education resources

Here’s the consolidated sketchnote with all the dirty details. 😉

Three of my favorite facts about soil:
1) most of soil is actually air or water; pore space is what makes soil work;
2) hygroscopic soil is like the Ebenezer Scrooge of soils…refusing to share;
3) ooooh that soil triangle! It’s like gamifying soil texture identification.

One thing is for certain…soil geeks are real, and they come out of the woodwork (ground?) whenever soil facts come up. It’s so fun to geek out over dirt.

* The quote about “fluffy, healthy, living soils” is from Lori Palmquist and is a fave quote. It reminds me that soil is a living, breathing part of nature and deserves respect, stewardship and care.