Nature Journal is an innovative presentation of the best columns and photographs from L. J. Davenport’s popular column in Alabama Heritage magazine. Readers of the magazine have come to relish his artful and often witty descriptions of common species encountered in the Alabama outdoors. But Nature Journal is designed to be much more than a mere collection of entertaining essays; it is also an educational tool—a means of instructing and encouraging readers in the art of keeping a nature journal for themselves.

Each of the 25 chapters is a self-contained lesson in close observation of species morphology, behavior, and habitat; research in the literature; nondestructive capture of the subject by photography or drawing; and written description of the total observed natural phenomenon. At the end of each account, stimulating questions and gentle directives guide the reader into making his or her own observations and recordings.

This book is intended for broad nature-study use in Alabama and throughout the southeast by the general reader and nature enthusiast alike, as well as visitors to museums and outdoor centers, and students of nature and nature writing at the high school and college levels. Beautifully designed to look like a personal journal, it is a perfect gift and treasured keepsake for all lovers of the natural world.  

Publication supported in part by Samford University  

L. J. Davenport is Professor of Biology and Director of the Vulcan Materials Center for Environmental Stewardship and Education at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama. In 2007, he was selected as the Carnegie Foundation Alabama Professor of the Year.

John C. Hall is Curator of the Black Belt Museum, University of West Alabama, Livingston, Alabama, and former Director of Interpretation at The University of Alabama Museum of Natural History. He is coauthor of Headwaters: A Journey on Alabama Rivers with Beth Maynor Young.

“In this collection of 25 essays Davenport provides a series of inspiring short lessons on unusual aspects of natural history of both plants and animals. Each organism has an excellent color photograph and witty writing full of facts, puns, lore, and more. After each narrative, the reader is encouraged to engage in his or her own nature project related to the message, such as to estimate the number of fruits produced by a tree or herb. There are four lined pages for your notes and drawings after each entry, making the text a handy long-lasting journal for future reference. . . . Let Nature Journal lead you on a refreshing walk on the wild side!"

--T. Lawrence Mellichamp, Castenea

“The range of topics from fungi, insects, fish, and spiders to birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and mollusks, should attract a wide readership among nature enthusiasts. Davenport’s style of writing is such that the essays are simply a pleasure to read, never mind that you actually learn something about nature in the process.”

—Paul G. Davison, University of NorthAlabama