Nature Journal: The Rest of April

Our four weeks of spring nature journaling classes are over! It was a very interesting month since spring has come so late. I think we had snow for three of the Mondays in April? 

The Bloodroot captured my fancy this season. I'd never noticed it before. I love it's large white flower and its single leaf and the blood-red root which drips red juice.

 One week we practiced painting the forest (not so much green yet).

My nature journal pages:

Here's our classroom with all my posters on the wall and plant samples down the middle of the table.

I guess the Yellow Trout Lily could vie for first place in my spring flower affections. It's just stunning with its mottled green and brown leaves and bright yellow flower with red/orange stamens. I want to pretend God sends fairies out each night to paint the leaves in wet-on-wet technique with watercolor. :)

Here are more Bloodroots on a sunny day:

One day we stumbled upon these gorgeous red mushrooms which have several names. My two favorite names are Scarlet Elf Cup and Fairies' Baths. If the fairies come out at night to paint the trout lilies no doubt they stop here for their bath afterward.

Here are the mushrooms hugging the Dutchman's Breeches plant.

The kids were inspired by the mushrooms too....and the trout lily.

Here's how our walk looked on the last day of class -- such a huge change from the first week, and even a change from the third week!

Trilliums are everywhere -- I also love these with their distinct three leaves and three petals.

Mayapples cover the hillsides in great swathes and add quite a bit of green to the trail.

The kids all really liked the May Apples.

Some children chose to make a summary page for the month.

The Yellow Wood Poppies bloomed overnight.

The Large-Flowered Bellwort was another new-to-me flower.

We focused on leaf identification on our last day and matched the leaf shapes to the actual plants we found in the woods.

And look at this! The coveted Morel mushroom! This is from my friend's house, a few miles away. One of these years I intend to taste one of the special treats!!

And now art classes are over for the summer! My mom and I are planning day-long workshops for adults in June, July, and August and then I'll start teaching kids again in September. I'm already missing the woods.....(I need to go back).