project three | ideas for topic

How to Look at a Leaf

Each tree has a unique and special leaf. Identifying an unfamiliar tree by its leaf means peering closely at its leaf, making not of distinctive features, consulting a good tree identification guid, and narrowing down the options to match. With over half a million species of trees in the world, and seven hundred in North America alone, you'll need to find a guidebook that is specific to your region. The following questions will speed you on the way to noticing details, like the difference between needles that always attach to a secondary stem, as in our illustration of an Eastern Hemlock, and needles that attach to secondary stems and to the primary stem too, like those of a Dawn Redwood. Spread some leaves out before you start navigating your way around the incredible world of trees.


Bird Watching

Bird watching might seem difficult (or even boring), but we can assure you, it is not. Birds are everywhere–easy to spot and fun to observe. Most birders keep a life-list journal, a kind of bird diary, by writing down the birds they see. As you begin to bird you can use a small spiral notebook to make a life-list journal for yourself, writing down the names of the birds you find, or sketching their distinguishing features so you can look them up in a bored identification book once you're back home. All you need to go bird watching is a pair of binoculars, a good bird guidebook, comfortable clothes, your life-list journal–and some patience. Bird watching demands a certain kind of presence on the part of the birder: You must become a part of nature rather than stand outside of it. Here are eight common birds to start you off on a lifetime pursuit of bird watching.