Beauty & Scenery

Scenic views. Burbling streams. Old stone walls. Check out these special places on other woodlots to get some fresh ideas for your own.

You can see a lot from your trails, but sometimes the best places are stumbled upon by accident. Get off the beaten path and explore your woodlot with the help of a map, compass, GPS unit, or smart phone.

With a chainsaw, safety equipment, and a log, you can make yourself a rustic resting spot even deep in your woodlot.

Just as people start going to bed, your woodlot is waking up. Many animals are only active at night. Sit outside with your ears open, and you might surprise yourself with what you hear.

Your woodlot is more than a retreat from the fast-paced modern world. It's also an escape from the bight city lights that obscure the heavens. Pick a clear, moonless night and enjoy the show.

Understanding how a timber harvest changes the way your woodlot looks and what can be done about it is the first step in reducing a harvest's visual impact.

Make sure your forester and logger know your expectations for your favorite spots on your woodlot, like a special trail or view.

Trees possess beauty that is sometimes obscured by nature itself. Pruning dead limbs and sculpting a form will enhance a tree's natural beauty and health.

Which plants on your woodlot most catch your eye? Create a list and take pictures of the flowers, bushes, or trees you enjoy the most. You can encourage, showcase, and add more of these plants over time.

Free aerial photos and topographic maps can reveal a lot about your property, and a simple hike can turn into a natural history lesson when you can read the woods.

The United States Geological Survey has been creating maps since 1884, and they're all available online for free.

Beauty isn’t just in what you see. By learning common bird songs and calls, you can tune in to your woodlot’s beautiful sounds as well.

Have a leftover tree stump from an old yard, firewood, or timber harvest tree? Put it to use by making a rustic end table.

In this activity, you’ll use air-dry clay to perfectly preserve the veins and shapes of a leaf in the form of a small, shallow bowl.

Create your own nature-themed fabrics for a variety of sewing projects using this kid-friendly technique.

If you cut down a tree in your yard, getting rid of the stump can be a real pain. Instead of grinding it up, this project repurposes that stump into a small flowerbed.

One advantage to owning a woodlot is that you have a chance for really dark nights without city lights to interfere with the stars. Use that darkness to get beautiful “astrophotography” shots of the moon, stars, and Milky Way galaxy.

Nature can move slowly, but with time lapse photos and videos, you can speed up the movements of clouds, sunsets, and blooming flowers to just a few seconds.

Peak autumn color only lasts a few days each year. When your woodlot erupts in orange, yellow, and red, be ready to photograph this beautiful season.

Birds can be some of the hardest nature subjects to photograph. They’re small, fast, and fly away when you approach. With practice and these tips, you can take great bird photos even if you don’t have a gigantic lens.

Light painting is night photography with a twist. It involves moving a light source like a flashlight or glowstick during a long-exposure photo to light up a dark subject or create dazzling designs.

Winter landscape photography can be a challenge on you and your camera, so review this advice from the pros before you head out in the cold.

When we travel, we often forget to pause and appreciate what’s right around us. With a sound map, you’ll sit still and translate the sounds around you onto paper.

Like to draw? Like to paint? Try doing them outside! Painting or drawing outside, also known as “plein air” art, can improve your nature observation skills and deepen your connection with the land.

Bring the outdoors inside any time of year with this simple, decorative craft that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike.

Functional and beautiful, you can create a hanging mobile to use as decoration or even as an herb-drying rack.

Nature meets technology with this simple build that can turn a cellphone charger into a woodsy work of art.

Having a georeferenced .pdf map on your phone means you can track your position in the field and mark points of interest, even without cell phone service. We developed the MyWoodlot Watershed mapping tool to help you make your own maps and discover important features on or around your property.