Nature through art September 12, 2025

I have always been drawn to nature. Growing up and living in Nova Scotia has been an amazing gateway to the outdoors. My parents brought me up camping, biking and hiking, and they taught me about nature’s secrets. My mom grew up on a farm, making her very knowledgeable about plants and their relationship with the earth. We would garden together when I was young. With my dad, I practiced my bird calls as he taught me about the creatures around us. But the most influential teachings have come from the books my parents have given me over the years. Our living room is filled with books on Canadian plants, cultures and animals, as well as field guides and identification books. Out of all the wonders I was shown, one thing really stood out to me: the pictures. And that is how I have seen and connected with nature ever since.

Like most kids, I started drawing and painting as soon as I could hold a crayon. But this passion quickly grew, and I’ve been painting elaborate nature scenes ever since. As my art skills improved and I began my degree in environmental studies, I started wanting to learn more about ecosystems. This led to the creation of my field pages. A couple of years ago, I gave myself the challenge of sketching and painting all the animals and plants that I saw every month. I’ve learned a lot since I started this project, not only about painting, but also about having gratitude and appreciation for the world around me. Looking for different birds, plants and animals helped me see the little things, and I understood more about the ebb and flow of the seasons. The more I looked, the more I saw, and my field pages became increasingly full. As a Conservation Intern with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), a big part of what I do involves monitoring the properties that NCC protects.

Back in July, when I learned that I would be visiting the Musquodoboit River Valley Nature Reserve by canoe, I was instantly inspired to make a field page with all the species we would see. As we paddled up a brook, we were surrounded by water lilies, pickerel weed and canary reed grass, which is an invasive species. A few creature friends graced us with their presence as well; we saw barn swallows, green frogs and a red-tailed hawk. The sounds of the river became ever present when we came face to face with a beaver dam that we had to cross on foot. As we entered the forest, the sounds of northern parula, common yellow throat and red-eyed vireo surrounded us. We observed various plants, like rock polypody ferns, stairstep moss, witch hazel and black cherry trees. This truly was a day to remember.

I am grateful to call the Wabanaki (Acadian) forest my home. It has guided me on my many journeys, and it keeps teaching me in new ways. I hope that you, too, will feel inspired by the art in nature, and that when it draws you in you will feel like you’ve always been meant to be here.