Keeping a Garden Journal

There's so much to see outside! One of the first lessons that Mary learns is that even in winter there is life everywhere. One way to help notice the world around us is to keep a nature journal. Many may feel that they need to be talented artists in order to properly keep a record of the outside world, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. All that's needed is an inquisitive mind and a love for nature! Let's look at some examples of nature journals for ideas.

This journal has drawings and writing in it. Many nature journals are a mix of the two.

This journal uses photographs instead of drawings. That's fine! You should use a method that will make things easier for you to remember.

This journal has more drawings than writing. Sometimes people have a hard time putting thoughts into words. Drawing is a great way of expressing your thoughts!

Now that we've seen some examples, let's talk about some places you can go to write about and some things to look for:

Your own backyard! - Many animals live there and call it home. Even in winter there are birds and other animals that may reside there. With your parents help you can look online for instructions on how to make a bird feeder,  and soon you'll have plenty to see. Also look at the trees that may be in the neighborhood. Do you know what type of trees they are? How long have they been there? If your parents or a neighbor have cut down a tree in the neighborhood, you can look to see how old it is by counting the rings. 

 

Out in Nature! - There are many animals in the wilderness and any time of the year you can find them. Looking in the mountains, in deserts, or near water will give you very different results.  What type of trees do you see? Some trees keep their leaves all year long and others don't, why do you think that is? Are there any animal tracks? What is the weather like? 

Zoo! - if you dont have a backyard, or can't go to the great outdoors, many cities still have places you can go to learn about nature. Zoos will let you come really close to animals that would never be here normally, and often you can look at them in a habitat similar to their own. 

Things to keep in mind when you go explore:

• Don't go alone! Make sure a parent is with you.
• Keep still! Many times animals don't want to be seen because they're scared. If you are quiet and still, you'll see more.
• Respect your surroundings! Always make sure you leave a place cleaner than you found it. Clean up garbage you brought, and if you have time, clean up garbage you may find others left before you.

The Moors of England

The Secret Garden is set in the English countryside, surrounded by moorland. Moors are a type of tundra, and very little grows there because the ground is either too wet, or frozen solid. Here's an article a modern day journalist wrote about exploring the moors.

Winds are strong in the moorland, so very little is strong enough to grow there.

When exploring the English moors, come prepared

June 19, 2011|Mike Sowden

Rain is lashing at my back. I've just fallen over for the third time in 10 minutes. Around me, the hillside disappears into the growing gloom, capped by scudding clouds low enough to see even in these appalling conditions. I know where I am to within 5 miles. Here on the moors, that means I'm lost. I'm self-disgusted and panicky.

This is how people die.

Imagine the English landscape rendered in miniature under your fingertips. Trail a hand north along the country's rocky spine until the Yorkshire Dales knots chaotically into the Lake District. Now head east. A long, glacier-excavated scoop, and then it browns, bulges, rasping under your fingers like stubble. It's like England has developed mange, and it's this faintly cankerous-looking vista that I've been fighting my way across, in a storm that's in its sixth hour.

Welcome to the North York Moors, one of England's nine national parks - and a wilderness.

Hold on: wilderness? In England?

The land of sleepy hamlets, cream teas, pathetically weak beer and nuns on bikes? Ask a non-Brit for words that sum up the English countryside and the results are predictably hokey: charming, quaint, verdant, sweeping and, most tellingly, safe. Our warm, fuzzy view of England is the result of a centuries-old PR campaign started by the romantic landscape painters of the 19th century. We forget how different it was before they put brush to canvas. Thomas Hardy (of "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" fame) chose the English moor as a metaphor for fear, ignorance and savagery. Beyond the safe confines of town and village, England was out to get you.

I'm certainly feeling that vibe now as I hunch over the pulpy remains of my map with a flashlight. In a storm, the Moors are terrifyingly nondescript. Where the ground isn't thick bog, it's springy. The soil up here is poor, supporting only the most tenacious of vegetation. It's also mainly peat.

By looking at ancient pollen grains, environmental archaeologists have unearthed evidence of Neolithic forest clearances, tipping the local ecology toward peat production. Is this one of the earliest human-made eco-disasters? Despite thousands of years of inventive agriculture, it's a barren land.

The rain continues to whip me. Frankly, I deserve it. This is a pitiful way for a world traveler to meet his end - in his own backyard. I only live 30 miles away. In good conditions, I could walk home. And yet it's just that kind of sloppy, complacent thinking that has got me in this mess. I could not be less prepared for this ordeal. I'm a dimwit. Flog me harder, rain.

For my 39th birthday, I'd decided I needed adventure. I'd never walked across the moors in one day. The forecast said "rain"; I scoffed at it. I have waterproof gear. What can go wrong?"

I thought my country was tame. And now it's bitten me.

But even idiots can conquer their panic. I squint at my ruined map, make a few compass-assisted guesses, spot a distant glitter of lights that become a road (the only road), realize I've been heading the wrong direction, face the correct way and trudge on. And it's one sodden yet increasingly high-spirited hour later that I'm walking down into the village where my caravan is parked. I've made it.

The moors are lovely this time of year. Go visit. Maybe we'll cross paths. You can't miss me - I'm the guy with the tent, waterproofed map and overcautious manner.

England has teeth, but I'm not stupid enough to be bitten twice.

Heather is a beautiful purple plant that grows on the moors in warmer months.

Connecting Threads:

Mary sees the moors for the very first time when it is cold and grey. As Spring comes, the moors change and becomes beautiful. What are some changes that you notice around you when winter changes into spring?

Sources:

http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-06-19/travel/29673035_1_rain-national-parks-england

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Books/Pix/pictures/2011/7/7/1310053966113/A-hawthorn-tree-on-Saddle-007.jpg

http://cdnfiles.hdrcreme.com/30995/medium/heather-across-the-moors.jpg?1314855750

Welcome to the Garden!

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This is a blog to give a better understanding of the world of Frances Hodgson Burnett's book and UVU's production of the play "The Secret Garden"

My name is Daniel Fenton Anderson and I'm the dramaturge for this production. What is dramaturgy you may ask? Well for this production I have helped gather research for actors and designers, as well as helping to create a link between the production and the community.

So follow along on this blog and you'll see cast interviews, historical facts, recipes, links, and other fun things to help you see, smell, and hear what life was like in Edwardian England!