NatureSpace
What you need to become a Naturalist
All you need to start as a naturalist is your Eyes, Ears, and Nose. By using your senses you can explore nature in your backyard and beyond.
Nature's Patterns
Within Nature there are patterns. Nature follows patterns for survival. Nature has a set of principles to ensure survival and they are quite effective. Not only are there patterns for survival, but there are also noticeable physical patterns that are within nature. There is a purpose for these patterns just like everything in nature. Patterns in nature don't need to be identical to be repeated in nature but they are not random. When you are in nature, you can see patterns all over the place, you can see them in the stripes of a tiger or butterfly wings. Even though they look identical, they are not. There are never any snowflakes that are identical. Another pattern that we see a lot is the hexagonal pattern. You see it in beehives, insect eyes, and pineapples. Another pattern is the Fibonacci spiral. These can be seen in flowers, shells, agave, even in romanesco broccoli.
The Hexagonal Pattern in Nature:
This pattern is known to be the optimal shape for space. This shape leaves no room for fallacies. That is why nature produces such a shape.
The Fibonacci Spiral in Nature:
The Fibonacci spiral can be found in many Natural Models.
"Romanesco Broccoli" by Lori L. Stalteri is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Photo by: Christina Sullivan
Nature Journaling
One way to help find the patterns in nature is to Journal. Nature Journalling can be done by anyone who wants to document what they observe. It helps us to become a little bit more intimate with the world around us. Nature Journalling is for everyone who wants to learn more. You don't have to be an artist to keep a journal. You can observe with words, colors, or even sketches for your own eyes. You can observe a natural artifact like a skull, or a feather.
Go out in nature to see what fantastic observation you can find and journal about it.
The ASU Library acknowledges the twenty-three Native Nations that have inhabited this land for centuries. Arizona State University's four campuses are located in the Salt River Valley on ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Indian Communities, whose care and keeping of these lands allows us to be here today. ASU Library acknowledges the sovereignty of these nations and seeks to foster an environment of success and possibility for Native American students and patrons. We are advocates for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and research methodologies within contemporary library practice. ASU Library welcomes members of the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh, and all Native nations to the Library.
