Simply put, The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs by Tristan Gooley is a practical guide to backyard geology and earth science. Its purpose is to help you interact with the outdoors dynamically and with curiosity. It lends the reader to the subtle and not-so-subtle clues that are in our environment and, in turn, it polishes the skills we need to tune our senses towards nature’s ebb and flow.
So far, this is the only book I’ve read by Tristan Gooley but, based on my experience reading this book, I would not hesitate to pick up any of his other nature writings. He has studied natural navigation for a few decades now and has written many books in this realm that delve deep into nature’s habits. In The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, his tone is casual and easy to follow yet inspirational and wondrous —so much so, that it reinvented and rekindled my relationship with nature. After all, this is why the BBC called him “The Sherlock Holmes of nature.”
Although I have a lot of really good things to say about this book overall, let’s talk about some of the cons before we get into the good stuff. Don’t worry, this bit is short.
Gooley knows too much!
At times, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information presented in the book. Gooley frequently used specific plants and methods as illustrations, and over time, this became a bit daunting. On the positive side, it’s great that Gooley backed up his points with numerous examples and tips for us new natural navigators. On the flip side (and maybe this is just me), I felt like I didn’t fully grasp the benefits of the book because I got bogged down in the nitty-gritty details he included.
More illustrations would have made the experience more enjoyable. While I appreciated the existing illustrations, I often found myself turning to Google images to visualize features not directly depicted in the book. For instance, the constant mention of specific trees and plants with names I won’t likely remember, as well as other small details, flew right over my head. But hey, this could be more of a “me” problem than an issue with the book itself. Despite these challenges, I still see myself returning to the book— and this is just a good excuse to do so.
Now for the pros.
Nature Filter Unlocked
The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs shares a wide range of tips and tricks that apply to different environments. So if you’re in the UK or in the US, you are bound to find information that you can use in your own backyard. I’d like to mention that it also referred to navigation techniques that could prove useful south of the equator, but the majority of it was based on the northern hemisphere. Either way, the author’s approach to nature was informative, diverse, and easy to grasp as a beginner. It offers explanations for common natural phenomena while simultaneously adding to my knowledge bank other phenomena that I wasn’t familiar with. For example, did you know that fogbows are a thing? It’s like a rainbow, but it occurs when there is fog instead of rain.
I also enjoyed the anecdotal aspect of the book. A few of the chapters in The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs are solely dedicated to Gooley’s adventures and real-life scenarios in which he has used his natural navigation skills. Getting to see his knowledge and skills put into action made this book feel even more practical and applicable as Gooley walks the readers through his own lived experiences.
On a side note, if you are interested in partaking in some similar adventures, Gooley offers courses and events where you can put your knowledge to the test as well as learn more useful navigational skills.
To further my praise, I think the most important and satisfying aspect of having read this book is that it brought wonder back into the natural world. I can no longer look at leaves and roots as they are, ignore them, or walk past them. I now look deeper at their shape, color, orientation, and texture in order to understand why nature manifests itself as it does.
Reading this book unfolded nature’s canopy and revealed an entirely different and deeply complex world right before my eyes. It has always been there, but Gooley exposed its cogs and chains leaving them bare for us to admire. In this book, he gives you the tools to understand the world as the world wants to the understood.
Now, when I walk outdoors, I not only ponder on the interconnectedness and oneness of the world around me but also the physical manifestations of that. I have the tools to read the environment as it tells me what it wants me to know. This new skill set allows me to look at the world as a discoverer, explorer, and navigator reading the history of the roots and leaves around me. It is such an empowering feeling and it actively fuels my yearning to understand the universe.
Since reading The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, I can’t help but scan the skies to predict and track the weather; to observe the contour of the trees, and the flow of the wind against their leaves. So much that has always been there; so many clues as to how the world runs its course. This book gave me the tools to appreciate and engage with it in a genuine and intuitive way that will be with me forever. I don’t scan the skies consciously anymore. It’s where my body and mind are drawn to when I step foot outdoors; where my gaze falls at the end of a cloudless night. The skies and the earth have never looked the same since reading this masterpiece, and hope they never will.
If everything that I’ve said thus far has not persuaded you yet, let me try one more time. Here’s the story of when I predicted a rainbow (which coincidently happened the same day I began writing this review).
The weather that day was grey and cloudy, to say the least. You could feel the thickness of the air around you as if it were a veil sticking to every inch of exposed skin. Either way, it was a great day. After a big pizza dinner, I spent some time sitting around the porch table with my family talking about our day and just spending time together. At this point, we were all waiting for the rain to come crashing down on us. The weather for the past few days had indicated that at some point or another, we would be getting thunderstorms and heavy rains.
Nevertheless, we were surprised when a subtle and light mist of rain settled down around us. It wasn’t the loud-mouthed rain we were expecting. It was quiet and shy, and if you leaned in close, you could even hear it whisper an apology for having to rain on our parade. Anyway, as I looked out at the mist, the sun’s position caught my eye. I noticed that it was somewhere around 40-45ish degrees up from the horizon, which is an observation that comes to me more naturally after reading Gooley’s book. At this realization, I followed the sun through the mist and looked in the direction opposite of the sun, where I would expect a rainbow to be. I
remembered that, according to Gooley, you would find a rainbow 42 degrees up from the horizon if the sunlight traveled through the rain at nearly that same angle. And no shit there I was, looking at a double rainbow! It was such an incredibly rewarding experience because without knowing it was there, I was able to figure it out based on the clues around me. And I get it, most people know that where there is sun and rain, a rainbow will most likely make an appearance. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t have been able to put together the relationship between the sun’s position and the rainbow if it wasn’t for this book.
In a sense, Gooley gave me the tools, perspective, and know-how to observe and therefore predict my environment. And this isn’t the first time either. Now, I’m always sure to point out that if you’re ever lost out in a forest and see birch trees, you can scrape the light part of the trunk and use it as sunblock (because it’s the birch’s own sunblock too). Likewise, I’ve been more observant when watching the sunset. I try to predict what the weather will be like the next day based on the sunset’s brightness and colors. That too is deeply rewarding.
These are the kinds of details that Gooley engrains in our brains once we’re through with the book, and fortunately, it is hard to turn off this filter when exploring the natural world henceforth. You will never unsee the knowledge you get from this book, and that was but some simple examples. Every time I walk past a field of clovers, I am reminded that clovers are good indicators of human/animal activity in the area. On the other hand, I also know that if I come across a clover field with a lot of 4 leaf clovers, this is an indication that some sort of chemical runoff mutated the clovers in the area (hence more signs of human activity).
What new things can you learn to perceive around you? If you’re looking to answer that question, The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs is the perfect book for you!
If you’re interested in reading some of the stuff he writes about, I’ve published a fieldnotes page with all of the notes I took while reading the book. I hope you find it helpful and if you read the book, I would love to know how it’s changed the way you view nature.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review 🙂 happy navigating!
[It’s (mostly) chronologically organized, and covers most of the book, although some chapters I don’t have many notes for.]
What is a temperature inversion?
A temperature inversion traps sound, light, and radio waves, amplifying their presence in the lower layer of the atmosphere.
If you smell fire but don’t see it, this could indicate you’re in a temperature inversion zone and the chimney smoke from nearby homes is trapped and amplified in it.
Similarly, radio waves get stuck in the lower atmosphere, which allows for far-away radio waves to travel vertically across instead of escaping upwards. This is called tropospheric ducting. During a temperature inversion, it can cause radio signals to overlap each other over longer distances.
During an inversion light gets refracted vertically, which results in what is called a Fata Morgana optical illusion — simply put, it makes it look as though bridges and boats are floating above the water.
A temperature inversion can be dangerous when dense smoke and fog get trapped because it creates smog.
Why is the sky blue?
Rayleigh scattering is the optical illusion that makes the sky blue; it is also responsible for the color variation in faraway objects – the further away we are from it, the lighter the object appears.
Gooley’s S.O.R.T.E.D. System
SORTED is an acronym that helps us to systematically observe nature.
Shape
Notice the shape and contour of your environment – summits, rivers, coastlines, valleys.
- Can you tell what created these shapes?
For example, you can tell where glacial ice passed through the land if you find a rouche moutonnee rock formation. It is characterized by a gently sloping side in contrast with a rocky, steep, and fragmented side. Overall, the direction of the glacial ice flow would be from the gentle side down to the steep and irregular side.
- What is the direction of action? (ex. which way is the river flowing, how are things aligned?) Gain height for a better perspective. Every landscape has unique features.
Notice the faces of a hill or mountain. Upon close inspection, you’ll realize they are different. This is because they get different amounts of solar energy. Therefore, the southern-facing side often has more vegetation and sprouts ~4 days before the northern side.
Notice what the prevailing wind patterns are for your area. Slopes facing the wind will be less sheltered and therefore have less vegetation and shorter trees.
Overall Character
Take notice of the types of rocks and soil around you.
Observe the rocks:
- Are they changing? Size, shape, color?
- What does it tell us about human activity in the area?
- What direction are the rocks “dipping”?
- Do the rocks show signs of water/ glacier erosion? This can be helpful if you want to determine whether an area is susceptible to flash flooding.
Observe the soil:
The Munsell color system is used to label soil (similar to paint swatches):
- Darker soil indicates organic matter meaning it has more nutrients and is made up of animal and plant life
- Iron-rich soil will appear red, yellow, or grey (depending on how much water it gets).
- Grey is wetter soil, therefore, it has fewer nutrients and sparse plant and animal life because it was washed away
- Texture – mud vs. sand / dry vs. wet. could indicate you’re close to a water source
- Soil stability – look for fissures or slips on the group which can indicate unstable ground
Routes
Everything we’ve mentioned so far helps us build a description of the natural world around us. However, humans are so intertwined with nature that we must take into account our own roads and paths and what they say about our environment.
For example, if you’re walking down a road that intersects with a larger road, can you tell which way you’re more likely to find a nearby town?
Well, if you look at the track marks on the ground, you will notice that one side of the road might be more worn down than another. This could indicate that the majority of the flow of traffic is headed in one direction, which likely means there is civilization ahead.
If your travels are along a mix of natural landscapes and man-made routes, make sure to gain height for some perspective. Some roads might be higher in elevation and can only be seen from high above. This will help you make sure you’re headed in the right direction.
Tracks
Imagine you are lost in a forest and you and your crew aren’t properly prepared for your time outdoors. What do you do?
Tracking is the art of reading the “paths” and “footsteps” in your environment. Some paths are animal trails while others (usually cleared paths running in straight lines) are human trails leading you to safety.
How can we sharpen up our tracking skills?
- Make it easy on yourself and start tracking grounds that are easy to read.
For example, fresh snow is easy to read; depending on the moisture level, mud and sand can also be helpful in tracking prints.
- Know where to find animal tracks.
Like humans, animals spend time “commuting” back and forth between concentrated areas. Competition is fierce and resources scarce, therefore, look for concentrated areas that could meet all of an animal’s needs (food, water, shelter). If you did, you are likely to have found animal tracks.
- Use oblique lighting when searching for tracks.
If you are searching an area with sunlight at the zenith (directly above you), it is much harder to see the prints on the ground. Wait for sunlight to reach a low angle or use your own light source to examine track marks. This is called oblique lighting, and forensic scientists use this technique to reconstruct crime scenes.
- Know some animal prints
You probably know what a dog and cat footprint look like. This can be very helpful in itself (dogs leave claw marks while cats don’t).
Add to your knowledge of the outdoors some basic bird footprints. For example, a water-based bird will leave webbed foot marks, which could indicate there is water nearby. Likewise, birds that perch on trees have a backward pointed toe that will help them hold on to branches. Birds of prey have big claws to snatch their prey.
- Look for animal feces (scat)
If you find small droppings at regular intervals, you might be following a rabbit path, not a human path. You can tell the difference because human and dog feces smell and look different than rabbit droppings.
Similarly, if you find yourself in an area with a lot of dog feces, this could indicate you’re getting closer to civilization. Most people find places for their pets to poop that aren’t too far away from their homes. You are also more likely to come across broken branches and clearings if you are close to civilization.
- “Target enlargement”
Your target doesn’t always have to be present for you to know it is there. All you have to do is discern their habits based on what you see around you. This is called target enlargement because suddenly your focus is on the evidence around you that tells you more about your target rather than on the target itself.
Edges
Be aware of the hedges, walls, fences, and corners around you. You can tell a lot about the wind movement based on how they are weathering over time.
You might find that the bottom of a hill has really nice fencing, while the top of the hill looks more weathered. This could be because the wind currents are reaching the top fences but not the bottom ones.
Likewise, if you look at a stone wall, you can tell a lot about the environment. For one, most building stone comes from areas nearby. This is because the cost of transporting them over long distances can get very pricy. Therefore, notice how plants and water interact with the stone. If it’s lighter in color, the stone is most likely limestone (alkaline); if it’s darker, it is most likely it’s acidic. Keep an eye out for changes in grass and plant life around you.
Details
This is all about gathering cultural clues that you might not get without a map. For example, Gooley breaks down the cultural meaning behind different location names:
“The ending “-ness” refers to headlands and “pen” means a hilltop, while “-hurst” is a clue to a wooded hill nearby”
“The Dutch, for example, are usually behind stream names ending in “-kill.” The Native Americanc suddic “-amack” signals a place good for fishing, common in New England and on Long Island, “-suck” represents a creek or brook, “-pauk” a place of water, and “kuppi” a sheltered spot, to name a few.”
There you have it — the S.O.R.T.E.D. system!
All About Trees
The tree line is the area where wind and temperature conditions are too hostile for the trees to survive. The closer you get to the tree line, the shorter and stouter the trees will get. In some cases, the tree line can display a wedge effect, where “the trees on the windward side of any woodland will tend to grow less tall than the more sheltered ones.”
Shapes of Trees
Trees are shaped by many forces: sun, wind, soil, water, and storms.
According to Gooley, “more branches grow on the South side of trees. The branches on the south side tend to grow toward the horizontal and the branches on the north side tend to grow more vertically. This leads to the ‘tick effect.’“
During a storm
During a storm, trees will fall in the direction of the prevailing storm winds. You might not be able to tell by looking at individual trees, but collectively, there should be a recognizable pattern as to where they face when they fall.
For example, a tree that falls facing north probably experienced storm winds coming from the South. It’s even easier to tell the direction if the tree has been uprooted because you can use that sense of direction to figure out where the winds came from.
Roots
Trees use their roots as anchors. These roots are usually thicker and sturdier on the windward side to compensate for the extra tension.
You can see this if you look at a tree’s root collar, which is the section of the tree right above the ground, that becomes roots. The windward side will have a thicker root collar than the sheltered side of the tree.
Bark
The bark on the northern side of a tree will be darker than the bark on the southern side. Likewise, tree rings on the northern side of a tree will be thicker and thinner on the southern side.
The bark can tell you about how these trees grow. For example, a tree with a smooth appearance is probably a fast-growing tree, whereas a slow-growing tree will have “a heavity gooved, plated, and rough” bark texture.
Leaves
Trees have sun leaves and shade leaves (larger, thinner, darker). They usually correspond to whichever side has the most light/shade respectively. However, not all trees have sun leaves. They might only get sun leaves late in maturation. Over time, they can adapt to shade if necessary, but sudden changes (ex. sun leaves are suddenly in constant darkness) will kill the leaves.
Trees and Time
Trees with the widest canopies are often the oldest in the area. This means that they were there before the area got crowded and other trees around them didn’t get as much room to grow.
Tree “flagging” – occurs when prevailing wind forces rip the branches on the windward side leaving it bare while the opposite side is left intact.
“Wind tunnel effect”– similar to flagging except that, instead of the windward side being completely bare, the windward branches are closely clustered together, giving the tree an uneven look. You should expect the leeward side to have normal growth while the windward side will have squished branches due to the wind’s force.
Fires
“Leaves, twigs and other desiccated plant material line the forest floor and then fall downhill, accumulating on the uphill side of tree trunks. When a fire goes through woodland, these collections form fuel pockets for the fires and they allow small bonfires to burn on the uphill side of these trees”
Holy Shrubs as Indicators
Holly shrubs can be used as long-term indicators of human and animal activity. For example, let’s examine their prickliness. Holly shrubs grow prickly as a response to grazing. Therefore, if a holly shrub is prickly and/or run-down looking, it’s a good indicator that animals or humans travel nearby. On the other hand, if there is little to no human or animal grazing activity, the holly shrubs will grow softer and gentler since they aren’t in contact with other creatures.
Plants
Just to forewarn you, you will probably need Google’s assistance for reference photos!
Basic plant health cues
Yellowing at the tip and middle = nitrogen deficiency
Yellowing at tip and edges = potassium deficiency
Plants!
Stinging nettles thrive in phosphate-rich environments. Human activity usually leads to a high concentration of phosphate. Therefore, if you see these, that can be a sign of human activity or habitation. Can be found near fertilized fields. They can also be found around ruins or other early civilization sites. Likewise, you might find them near old burial sites.
Clovers usually grow on paths most frequented by people (and animals). If you find an area with LOTS of four-leaf clovers, this can indicate the use of herbicides.
Foxgloves could indicate human activity because they grow disturbed soil. They face the area of maximum light.
Woodruff is found in ancient woodlands (spreads slowly); Poison Ivy suggests newer woodlands.
Bracken can indicate that 1. frost isn’t likely to be a problem in the area or 2. that you are likely to find ticks and midges in the area. Up to you to decide based on the environment.
Daisies need sunlight, therefore, you are most likely to find daisies on the southern side of buildings and trails (also curve slightly southward).
Vines (climbing plants) grow away from light (negative phototropism). This is because these kinds of plants usually need a host plant to help them grow (for example, vines like to wrap around trees for support). Under the canopies of trees, there is shade and little light. Therefore, their survival depends on their ability to grow under shadow rather than under direct light.
Ivy vines tend to grow away from light (initially) and then towards light later on in their lives. They have stiff roots that help them climb and cling to trees (they grow little “legs” like centipedes).
Mosses need moisture to survive. The northern-facing side is usually shady and therefore moist. Therefore we can deduce which way is north based on moss accumulation.
Plants and Temperature
Plants open and close based on the temperature outside so if you are going on a morning walk, pay attention to how the flowers around you change as the temperature in the environment rises.
Animals
Birds
Bird alarm sounds are usually very short and simple (and often high-pitched) because:
- They have to be easily teachable to young birdies so as to keep them safe
- They must not draw too much attention from predators
- They must not give away too much information (for example, a long shriek could give away a bird’s location)
“Bird plow” – group warning system; the leader bird will fly off and the next one will follow it in the same direction
Birds also have different calls depending on whether the threat is on the ground or airborne.
Crickets
Crickets’ chirps change based on temperature changes. Although it varies depending on the species, “about one chirp a second at 55F is common, rising with temperature”
Mammals
“All mammals will shelter opposite the local prevailing wind if they can during a gale”
Dogs, similarly to humans, are right-pawed or left-pawed; left-pawed dogs tend to be more aggressive than right-pawed dogs
Tail-wagging to the left suggests that the dog is “less happy and more anxious than one wagging its tail to the right)” (from the dog’s point of view)
The Sky and the Weather
Cover the sun with your fingers. If the surrounding areas are blue (or bluer than the rest) you are surrounded by fresher air than in the other areas. Aerosols in the environment will create a halo (aureole) around the sun which will indicate the air is polluted.
How white is the horizon? Oftentimes it will be an off-white color, which can indicate the air is polluted. If it’s grey, this can indicate that dust, soot, salt, or acidic droplets are polluting the air.
Rainbows
If the sun is above 45 degrees, a rainbow will never appear. If your shadow is shorter than you are, you can say the sun is safely above 45 degrees.
The anti-solar point is the center of a rainbow (if we could see all of the rainbow, it would be a circle; therefore, the anti-solar point is the center of the circle). It is also the point directly opposite the sun.
In order to find a rainbow, you have to look in the direction opposite of the sun and through rain, and there you should find a rainbow about 42 degrees from the ground.
Rainbow colors can tell us about raindrop size. The brighter and more colorful the rainbow, the bigger the raindrop (look at the brightness of the color red for reference!).
Fogbow – same as a rainbow but with fog instead of raindrops.
Weather Forecasting and Clouds
Crosswinds method
There are 2 systems of wind in place – upper (think cloud-level) and lower (think from the ground to the tops of trees). The lower winds are usually dictated by the upper winds, however, they tend to behave differently.
The lower system might be different than the upper wind system. In this case, you want to study how the clouds are moving in relation to the wind you feel.
The lower winds usually run counterclockwise in a low-pressure system. Therefore, if you stand with your back to the wind and point your left hand to the side, you are pointing toward the center of the system.
- If the clouds are moving left to right watch out for an incoming warm front with rain.
- If they are moving from right to left, a cold front is incoming – watch for clearing skies.
- If they are moving the same way – the weather is likely to stay the same.
Clouds
“Shearing effect” – clouds will sometimes appear as though their tops or bottoms are shifted and not perfectly aligned to the rest of the cloud. This suggests that there are wind differences as altitude changes.
Fog on a summer morning is a good indicator of fair weather because it shows us that the earth was able to cool down overnight and this suggests blue skies above.
- Cumulus – good weather clouds
- Contrails — clouds made by aircraft
- Cumulonimbus – thunderstorm cloud
- Cirrus followed by cirrostratus – suggest incoming warm front and rain
The clearer and brighter the sunset, the better the weather that will be upcoming the next day. This is because most of our weather systems come from the west, and the sun sets in that same direction. During sunset, therefore, we can pick up weather indicators that will be heading our way through the night / into the next day.
Sun
When does the sun set? For every knuckle above the horizon = 15 minutes more of the sun (less the more south we travel).
During sunset, if you notice that the sun is stretching horizontally, this is normal. The atmosphere makes it so that it looks squished from the top.
- If you notice that the sun is elongated vertically, this could indicate you’re in a temperature inversion zone. Watch out for the green flash of light right before the sun fully sets during a temperature inversion!
- If you notice that the sun doesn’t look elongated or squished any which way, this could be an indicator of bad weather.
Moon
When a crescent moon is in the sky, draw a straight line following the tips of the moon and it will point you south.
If the left side of the moon is blacked out, this means that the moon is less than 15 days old within its cycle.
A “blue moon” occurs when there are two full moons within a calendar month, which is very rare. However, there is another definition that people often refer to. For example, if the moon does look like it’s blue, this could indicate that the air particles around you might’ve been disturbed due to “a substantial forest fire, volcano eruption, sandstorm, or dust storm.”
Terminator – the line that divides the moon in half (half light half shadow); not perfectly straight because the moon has mountains
According to the Current Biology journal, “We get twenty fewer minutes of sleep and take five more minutes to get to sleep at times near a full moon. We also experience 30 percent less brain activity associated with deep sleep. This is true even when we cannot see the moon and sleep in a perfectly dark room”
City, Town, and Village
Airport runways are usually built facing the prevailing winds in the area (assists landing and take-off).
People tend to speed up near banks and parking lots but slow down near reflective surfaces (windows, mirrors).
“People slow down when speaking on a phone, but speed up when using headphones.”
US Interstate Highways
- East-west = EVEN (increase as they head east)
- North-South = ODD (increase as they head north)
North-south facing highway numbers go higher from east to west (ex. I-5 runs on the west coast, I-95 runs on the east coast)
Manhattan:
“North-south roads are mostly ‘avenues’ while the more minor and abundant east-west roads are ‘streets.’”
City street numbers are usually lower towards the center of the city and go up as you move away from them (ex. 25th Street is close to downtown than 95th)