Field Notes
Real observations. Real places. Real children learning outside.
Field Notes is where I put what I actually see — at Hunting Island, at Edisto, in the marsh at low tide, on the boardwalk at dawn. Not curated. Not Pinterest-perfect. Just the tides, the birds, the driftwood, and what a curious 3-year-old might do with any of it.
Each post is written for educators and families who want the real story behind the natural world — the kind of background knowledge that turns a walk on the beach into a conversation that lasts the whole drive home.
Browse by topic, season, or whatever your kid just picked up off the ground.
Walking Under Something Ancient
Live Oak I had walked under these trees dozens of times and called them scenery. Then I learned a live oak can live 500 years. I stopped on the trail and looked up. This tree was standing here before the United States existed.
The Plant That Holds the Beach
Sea Oats I always obeyed the signs. Stay off the dunes. Don't pick the sea oats. I followed the rules without understanding them — until I learned what's happening six feet underground.
When the Moon Pulls Harder
Tides I didn't set out to watch the tide. I just didn't leave. And somewhere between the first cup of coffee and the second, the marsh reorganized itself in front of me.
Something Stopped Me On The Boardwalk
Sand Dollar It wasn't the white ones I'd always collected. This one still had its spines — velvety brown and moving. I didn't know they looked like this when they were alive.
The Dive
Pelicans There is no warning. One moment gliding, the next — a spear. I watched one dive directly overhead and heard it hit the water. That sound changed how I watch them.
MARCH 2026 | SKILL OF THE MONTH: NOTICING
Not One Thing, But Two
Lichen (Cladonia) I knew it was lichen. What I didn't know was that it wasn't one thing at all — it was two, living so completely intertwined that scientists mistook them for a single organism for centuries.
Something Carved This Wood
Driftwood The tunnels running through it were smooth and deliberate. Something had carved them from the inside. I had no idea what — until I looked it up.
This Is Where Field Notes Starts
"Before the individual posts, before the cards, before any of the observations — there is this. One place. Four seasons. A year of returning. This is where Field Notes starts."
Field Notes : Hunting Island
Groot & the Sunrise He walked to the water's edge and stopped. The light was coming in orange off the Atlantic. He didn't move for a long time. Neither did I.
March Activity Guide: Waking Up
Take Something Home
The Field Notes from Hunting Island card series brings these observations down to toddler level — single-page PDFs designed for ages 2–5, with real science, a personal voice, and a “Try This!” activity your family can do today.
Cards available now:
• Tides — How the ocean moves, and why the marsh smells that way
• Pelicans — The dive, the pouch, and what they’re actually doing out there
• The Moon — Why it looks different every night, and what it has to do with the tides
Join Wild Ones
Wild Ones is my newsletter — field notes, new cards, and what I’m actually observing that week at the park. It goes out when something is worth sharing. No noise. Just the good stuff from the marsh.
Questions or observations to share? rootsrainboots@gmail.com