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Sketch of a willow tree shaped by damage and appearing like a dragon

ArborApril 16: Damage

  • On April 16, 2025
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[16] Today’s prompt is DamageJournal a tree showing damage or injury such as cuts, weeps, or seeps. Is there a tree who has suffered bad pruning? Seeing damage is never…
Nature journal entry of branching diagrams.

ArborApril 15: Stick Figures

  • On April 14, 2025
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[15] Today’s prompt is Stick FiguresDiagram a handful of trees very simply, making basic line drawings of the branching structure. Diagrams are fabulous. Making a branch diagram of a tree…
Color interpretations of parts of an orange tree: flower, leaf, fruit.

ArborApril 14: Scent-sational

  • On April 13, 2025
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[14] Today’s prompt is Scent-sationalJournal the scents and smells of a tree. There's something so deliciously personal about using color to document scent. It's challenging to get at the essence…
Sketch of a flowering tree with 4 haiku poems.

ArborApril 13: Nursery Rhymes

  • On April 13, 2025
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[13] Today’s prompt is Nursery RhymesGo to a local nursery to draw trees for sale along with the tree shoppers. Write poems or haiku to go with your sketches. Taking…
Ink drawing of a tree done with a twig branch.

ArborApril 12: Twig Drawing

  • On April 13, 2025
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[12] Today’s prompt is Twig DrawingDraw trees, leaves, and branches using a twig as a paintbrush/pen. Gettin' gestural and loose with some twig action! Meet the Entree, who is YAJM…
Nature Journal sketch of a Japanese maple with squirrel damage.

ArborApril 11: Critters

  • On April 12, 2025
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[11] Today’s prompt is CrittersDraw a tree and note all the interactions with birds, insects, animals, and humans. Back to the Eastree today for a short-and-a-little-late-but-oh-well journal entry. It's squirrel…
Hand-drawn nature journal entry of two pine trees growing together.

ArborApril 10: The Snuggle is Real

  • On April 10, 2025
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[10] Today’s prompt is The Snuggle is RealJournal two trees growing tightly together. Going off-book here and digging into the memory folio for today. (I prefer to work from direct…
Hand-drawn nature journal page of tree foliage with writing about the experience of sketching a tree canopy.

ArborApril 09: Up into the Canopy

  • On April 9, 2025
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[09] Today’s prompt is Up into the CanopyObserve a tree by looking up into the canopy. Draw slowly, noting the patterns of sun and shade as they move and change.…
Sketched nature journal entry showing top-down views of street tree root crowns. They look like brain dendrites.

ArborApril 08: Roots

  • On April 8, 2025
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[08] Today’s prompt is Get to the Root of ItSketch, question, measure the root system of a tree. Sometimes the congruence of the world sneaks up on you, and next…
Nature journal entry of Japanese black pine.

ArborApril 07: New to Me

  • On April 7, 2025
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[07] Today’s prompt is New to MeDraw a tree you’ve never seen before, identify it, learn and note down both the common and botanical names. I was walking out on…