Nature journaling and how it helps me develop upg : an example
My practice is very localized and I am extremely fortunate that the tales that I grew up with happened in places with similar nature to where I live and I count that as a blessing. This is the bais of this post [and of the entire screaming well honestly] and I don't claim that this is apply able to everyone but this is my method and I wanted to share it.
The plant l'll be talking about as a case study is hedge bedstraw or glad walstro in dutch.
When nature journaling l do a few steps that are always the same:
When l find the the plant / animal / fungus i log it on my phone l use a local version of inaturalist to do this most of the time but sometimes I'll write down the name if I didn't manage to take a picture.
I will draw it in a way that helps me remember it. What stands out to me what observations can I make about it myself. In order to do this i've gotten into more botanical terms for fun but you can do without honestly. The point of the drawing is to actively look at the plant and to be able to rechonize it next time I see it.
I look up the plant in botonist sites, the site I use is strictly for identification purposes and has detailed descriptions which I often find contain something I missed that I can tgen never unsee. I will then go back in and add it. Either by notes or by edditing the drawing this is where I also write down the edibility of a plant.
I will then look up the plant in an etemology data base and a story database. These databases are local to me and I will write down what I find about associations or stories they're mentioned in. I also do some general searches and read the Wikipedia for the plant. I also include family associations here.
Now for an example with the hedge bedstraw:
To me the most striking point is that the little white flowers have four points and four little stems at each corner it also has a stem in tge middle essentially the flower has 9 parts. Now tgat number is important to me so I note it down in my drawing. Then I look at the structure and where the leaves are placed. Each split in the stem has like a ring of leaves and there are no leaves in other places. These observations will help me rechonize it next time.
Now I start writing down wether it's edible or not. In this case it is and the roots are actually potentially a dye source. I don't forage for food a lot but these notes are always fun to make to me. I note that it's family of anotger plant. And then I note where it's name came from and that it was used as bedstraw the dutch name specifies this to cratle straw. I note the connection to child birth and sone sources on it being associated with protection of childeren.
Now this is where we get to the upg part. I associate child birth and protection of childeren with vrouw Holle. Therefore I note that this plant might make a good gift to her. The plant also has some snow associations and so I write that down too. Strengthening the connection a little bit.
Now with this plant my upg is mostly working on connections that had already been documented but in other cases the upg can be based on where a plant often grows, what it looks like, if it attracts certain animals and what those animals are connected too, did i find it together with a bunch of other plants? These are among the questions I ask myself that help me develop upg about the plants that live around me.
After forming an idea of the upg the relation building starts and now every time I'll see hedge bedstaw I'll be able to build on that upg and relationship by addressing it by it's name and thanking vrouw Holle that I am able to see it, by using bunches of it for protection and by asking it for protection.
