Focus On: Nature Blogs

• By Elizabeth

When you’re enjoying a solitary walk through the woods or rowing across a placid lake, it’s likely that blogging is not the foremost thought in your mind. But perhaps it should be! Why not share your rambles and adventures with your readers? You can bring some of the outside world to them, even as they sit in their fluorescent-lit office cubes.

Here are some ideas for great posts about nature:

• Take amazing photographs. This tip comes up with many topics we cover, but when it comes to the natural world, photography is particularly important. Vary your techniques: alternate panoramic shots of the mountain tops with microscopic close-ups of cool bugs and lovely flowers.
• Learn about what you see. If you photograph a Pine Sawyer Beetle, give us some facts about it, too. Interesting geological formations in the caves near your house? Curious behavior by the squirrel that lives in the tree outside your study? Take note of anything that sparks your curiosity, and do some research to find out more about it.
• Get active. Any outdoor sport or activity is an excellent source of material. Are you a rock-climber or a gardener? Do you like to hike or bird-watch? Do you kayak or horse-back ride? Take us along!
• Give practical tips. If you know (or are learning) how to find potable water in the mountains, how to grow a perfect tomato, or what flowers to avoid, share that knowledge with your readers. Even those readers who will never need to use the information will be impressed by your outdoorsy expertise!
• Contemplate. From Walden to Tinker Creek, we have a literary tradition of learning about ourselves through interaction with the natural world. If you are so inclined, nature posts are the perfect jumping-off point for philosophical musings, reminiscences, or even (gasp!) poetry.
• Develop a series. Are you rafting every river in your state? Will you hike a certain mountain once a month to see how the view from the top changes with the seasons? Coming up with a regular segment will make creating content a snap for you, and it will also give your readers something to regularly anticipate.

Do you ever blog about nature? Do you have any tips for remembering and recording outdoor adventures?

Side note: I hope you’re all enjoying reading the Focus On series as much as I’m enjoying writing it! I’m running to the end of my list of blog topics, so if there’s a certain topic you’d like to see covered, please let me know in the comments.