How to Take a City Nature Walk

You may be surprised at the animals, plants and other natural features that you can find in an urban environment. Although a city may not be your first thought for a nature walk, you can often find a surprising amount of things to see in city parks, neighborhoods and other areas. Head out today for a city nature walk and see what you can find.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Buy or borrow field guides to help you identify birds, animals, insects and plants. You can find various field guides for your particular region in bookstores, libraries or at online retailers. These guides have pictures of the particular species along with where you are likely to find it.
2. Visit a city park or other green area. You may want to both walk around and find a quiet spot to sit in order to see the most species of animals, birds and insects. Depending on the park, you can often find a surprising amount of nature contained within the city.
3. Find different habitats like rivers, open parks, backyards and other areas to observe nature. You may find that some parks will contain a number of different types of areas or you may need to walk to several parks. You'll see more diversity by varying the area around you.
4. Keep an eye open in unexpected places for nature. You may see birds flying by skyscrapers or green areas on tops of buildings. Most of the time, we walk right by nature in the city without paying attention but if you keep an eye open you can spot it in surprising places.
5. Get up close to nature when you can. Although you shouldn't approach wild animals, you can examine things like plants, many insects and geological features up close if it's safe to do so. Getting close can often show you small pieces of nature that you would have otherwise missed.
6. Join a nature walk of the city sponsored by a wildlife or outdoor group. Look for walks going on a city parks, nearby wildlife refuges, green areas or nature centers. Although many groups will sponsor day trips to more "wild" areas, you can often find some that examine aspects of nature in the urban environment.