September 27, 2026: Notes from a Nature Detective

September 27, 2026: Notes from a Nature Detective

“The earth is so richly endowed that the least we can do in return is to pay attention.” Robin Wall Kimmerer

I’ve always loved a good mystery, relishing the chance to become an armchair detective: identifying the suspects, sifting through the clues, and trying to solve the puzzle before the final page of a book or the closing credits of a television program.

But lately, I’ve realized that my love of solving mysteries has expanded into the outdoors.

Yesterday, while Ron and I were walking one of our favorite nature trails, I caught myself doing this again. We would walk a little way, and something would stop one of us.  

Curiosity inspired questions:

Who left those tracks? What is growing on that tree? When did the leaves begin to change? Where is that bird headed? Why is this one tree already crimson? How did it get here? And perhaps my favorite question of all: what’s the story?

One question would lead to another, and before long my inner Sherlock was fully engaged.

It occurred to me that I don’t just walk a trail anymore. Somewhere along the way, I started looking for clues and began increasing my awareness and understanding of about the mysteries were unfolding all around me.

Each week I write a short column for our public library newsletter called Nature Corner, sharing some of the things and events that have caught my attention during our outdoor explorations. Searching for inspirations for those stories has changed the way I experience the natural world.

I notice more… like yesterday’s animal tracks in the mud, an unfamiliar fungus growing beside the trail, a leaf whose shape didn’t’t look quite like the others and a tree beginning to turn crimson while its neighbors remained green.

Things I might once have walked past now make me stop, look a little closer, and ask another question.  

As one of my students once said, while out on our school’s nature trail, “the more I look, the more I see…..and the more I see, the more I want to look.” 

And now, years later I find the more I look, the more I want to know. 

And out comes the detective hat. 

Being more aware has increased my sense of awe and appreciation for the wonders that surround us in the natural world. I’m continually amazed by the intricate connections that exist between living things, and my explorations have deepened my understanding of how change is an essential part of the circle of life.

Anyone can be a nature detective.  Whether it’s utilizing traditional tools of a magnifying glass, guidebooks and notepad, to our modern technology with apps that can identify a “suspect” in seconds, the joy of discovery is open to any one.

Solving one mystery does not diminish my sense of wonder.  In fact, each discovery opens the door to a new mystery, with its own clues, igniting enough curiosity to put my detective hat back on and keep asking questions. 

Thank you, as always, for wandering with me. I hope this week’s journey inspires you to put on your own detective hat, follow a few clues, ask a few questions, and discover some of the mysteries waiting just outside your door.

Until our next wandering,
Wendy

🌿And perhaps another nature detective discovered the same thing…