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With longer days and warm sunshine, June invites us outside to explore forests, lakes and state parks across Arkansas. This is the month when everything feels a little more alive—dragonflies dart over ponds, turtles bask on logs, and wild blackberries ripen on the trail.
It’s also a great time to take your art supplies outdoors and record the magic of early summer. This month, I’m sharing a fresh set of 25 prompts to guide your sketchbook through the season.
New to nature journaling? No problem! Keep reading for some examples of how we’re tackling a few of this month’s prompts.
June Nature Journaling Prompts
How to Use These Prompts
I’ve given you 25 prompts to choose from. If you journal daily, you can go through each of the prompts in order and take a break on the weekends. If you aren’t that committed, just pick a few that appeal to you. Totally new and not sure where to begin? That’s okay! Grab yourself a piece of paper, and we’ll do a few prompts together.
Check out my first nature journaling article for ideas on materials and how to get started.
June Inspiration
June in Arkansas is a feast for the senses—think shimmering lakes, blooming wildflowers, the rhythmic buzz of cicadas and fireflies zooming through the night sky. As you explore the outdoors this month, let these moments guide your journaling. Here are some additional posts that may provide inspiration.
Arkansas Backyard Birds
Arkansas Fireflies
River Otters in Arkansas
Seven Wonders of Arkansas
Prompt 2 – Insect Close-up
Fireflies (Lightning Bugs) are one of my favorite things about summer. I love taking walks as twilight settles in to watch the fireflies dance in our hayfields. The arrival of fireflies signals the end of a busy school year and the start of long and carefree summer days.
For the Night Explorers prompt, George and I explored the lifecycle of a firefly and then each painted a jar of the blinking bugs.
Prompt 8 – Leaves
George chose to do an observational drawing of a leaf from the giant sycamore tree in our yard. He began with a contour line drawing of the outline of the leaf, then added a bit of color with colored pencil.
Prompt 25 – Splash of Color
Try creating a color study in your journal: pick a scene, then swatch the colors you see—from the soft greens of the trees and grasses to the pop of color from wildflowers. You can label each color, note where you found it, and even reflect on how those colors make you feel. Keep your eyes open and your sketchbook handy—nature has a lot to say in June!
Did you miss the May Nature Journal Prompts? Find them here.
Nature journals can be very personal, but if you’d like to share some of your pages with us on Instagram, you can use #onlyinarknature. If you share a post, we may feature it in an upcoming article. Check back at the end of June for the July prompts. Until then, Happy June Nature Journaling!
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