Many of us interested in nature journaling and natural history will be in the habit of picking up various little treasures that we find in nature. These can be anything from dried seed pods, pine cones, feathers or shells, or even the discarded skin of a snake or the exoskeleton of a cicada after molting. Each of these nature treasures is a little reminder that we are part of nature and nature is a part of us.
There are different names for these nature finds, one of the sweetest being Pocket Hitchhikers. This term was popularised by Angela Hennessy (Raspberry Thief) who has even created an Instagram handle (@pockethitchhikers) and hashtag for folks to share their nature finds with the community #pockethitchhikers.
It is important to remember that nature can be sensitive and we don’t want to disturb a natural system or remove anything that could cause damage. A good rule of thumb is to “pick-up” rather than “pick”. Wildflowers are best sketched in place. You can also consider your nature collection ‘on loan’ from nature and return your nature finds to where you found them once you’ve finished.
Nature journal prompts and ideas
Take a walk around your neighbourhood and keep an eye out for nature treasures that might just come home with you as ‘pocket hitchhikers’. These little treasures can then become the inspiration for a journal page or just bring you closer to nature.
If you find interesting leaves that you would like to preserve, use a flower press or place the leaves between two pieces of paper inside a heavy book. After a couple of weeks the leaves will have become flat and dry and this process will preserve the colour of your leaves for some time.
Feathers are wonderful treasures to add to your nature collection. When you find a feather, see if you can identify the type of bird that it came from. Can you also see if it came from the left or right wing?
When sketching pocket hitchhikers it can be fun to sketch their shadow where they are resting on the page. This can bring the sketch to life and make it pop off the page.
Pinecones make complicated but fun subjects for a nature journal page.
Children love to treasure hunt. Why not take a walk outside in nature with your family and look for nature treasures.
Angela Hennessy (Raspberry Thief) has a lot of inspiration to share in her article ‘Pocket Hitchhikers’.
Bethan Burton (Journaling With Nature) shares ideas for creating a nature table in her blog post ‘Nature collection - Brining a bit of the outside in’.
Jennifer Ross talks about the nature treasures that have been part of her life since childhood in her article ‘Nature in my pocket’.
Dr Alison Cutts describes the process of creating a perpetual journal with treasures she finds on her local walks, in her blog post ‘Nature Finds in my journal’.
Learn more
Many Natural History Museums have great online collections which can help you find out more about nature finds. Check out your local museum too, they may have images or a tour you can take!
There’s a wealth of knowledge and online collections waiting at the Smithsonian! Find out more here!
The world famous Natural History Museum in London has some wonderful opportunities to visit online and get up close and personal with nature finds, here!
Check out this list of Natural History Museums around the globe for more information about nature and ideas for nature finds.