Nature Study in a dense city and 1 climate culture?

Nature study can still be done in a city, though it will be different than in more open areas. Remember that nature study is not a find-something-in nature-one-time-so-you-can-cross-it-off-the-list type of activity. Nature study is a life-long process of getting to know the nature around you, observing the habits of each organism bit by bit.

Look for trees, shrubs, flowers, insects, birds, and any animals in your neighborhood that you can observe. Choose one thing to observe each time you go out for nature study. One week it might be observing an insect, another week it might be noticing something about a plant. Try to discover one new thing about the habits of whatever you are observing each time you observe it. For example, you can still observe one tree several times throughout the year and notice all you can about it. Each time you observe the tree try to learn one new thing about it. What do the leaves look like? What does the bark look like? When does the tree flower? What does its flower look like? What does its fruit look like? When is the fruit ripe? Is it a fruit that you can eat? Is it a fruit that birds, animals, or insects like to eat? What does the new growth on the tree look like? When do you notice new growth on the tree? Observing all these things about one tree will take some time. The next year choose another tree to get to know.

You can hang a bird feeder on a balcony or window and observe the birds that come to it. You can grow vegetables or flowers in pots and observe the different stages of growth. You can observe the weather (wind, precipitation, humidity, etc.), times and location on the horizon of sunrises and sunsets, the moon and its phases, clouds, signs of erosion or the forces of nature on sidewalks, roads, and buildings. If you ever have an opportunity to go to a park, the seashore, or another neighborhood you can observe new things in those environments.

Nature documentaries or other nature photographs and videos, books, and nature websites can be good resources for learning about birds, animals, and plants that we can’t observe in our usual locations.