Spring Renewal

Spring has sprung, and I'm riding the wave of nature's energy as we both shed winter and begin anew.

I created a mockup of how my White-breasted Nuthatch painting will look with a mat and frame for my November exhibit. Don’t you think the dark grey passe-partout makes the colors pop?

Hi, friends!

This month’s theme is Spring Renewal. Below is the schedule of livestreams and newsletters for May. I’m excited about it as I get to share some of what I’m working on (birds!) and exploring new-to-me topics (crawlies!).

Spring has a reputation for being the season of renewal. Birds are migrating. Trees are leafing out. Eggs are hatching, and the peepers in the creek near my home are singing their sexy songs of love. The humans — if living in my climate — are emerging out of our caves… er, houses into a warmer sun, zephyrous wind, and a flurry of activity.

Ah, Spring, I do love you so!

This year I heard its arrival before I saw the signs. Canadian Geese, the peepers, and the Robins could be heard before seen. But now what I suspect is a Hornbeam tree in the backyard (more research is needed) seems to have bloomed overnight, and all over the Park tiny leaflets are emerging on the birch trees in a lime green haze.

I feel like I can finally put the snow shovel in the basement.

This past quarter of 2025 I’ve been experimenting with livestreaming on Substack. At first, I thought it was an efficient way to share drawing techniques for nature journaling. To be honest, when I was planning the livestream back in December, it stressed introverted me out but as I thought it would be good for Cricklewood I forged ahead.

I had no idea that Wonder-Filled Wednesdays would become a favorite activity of mine. I enjoy everything about it — spending time with you, choosing the topic, planning activities, the actual livestreaming.

If you haven’t had a chance to join us on the livestream, it’s Wednesdays at 1:30pm ET. You’ll get a notification in your inbox on the Friday before with a button to click on the following Wednesday, and another when I go live. So grab some paper and a pencil or pen, and join me for the next one!

Other Cricklewood Nature Journal news is that I’m producing workshops here on Substack. The first one goes live this summer. I’ll have more information soon, but generally they are thematic, in depth workshops about drawing, painting, nature journaling, and bookbinding . Perfect for the nature journaler who needs more guidance and extra inspiration as they begin and continue their practice!

In studio news, I’m busy working on a collection of watercolor paintings for a show in November that I’m calling Orni-therapy. It’s a big collection for me (25-30 paintings), and I’m so excited about this project. I’m also waiting to hear about a grant I applied for in January to cover the costs of framing the collection and printing exhibition materials. Cross your fingers for me, please!

Happy May — I’m very much looking forward to spending this month with you!

xoSusannah

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Coming This Month

• Wonder-Filled Wednesday livestream, 1:30pm ET

  • 5/7 The Pollinators: Butterflies And Bees

  • 5/14 The Pollinated: Flowers And Trees

  • 5/21 The Friendly Skies: Birds

  • 5/28 The Crawlies: Not The Downton Abbey Kind

• 5/18 5/30 (edited) Nature Journal With Me Video (paid supporters)

  • Special activity related to all the livestreams (you’ll love it!)

• 5/31: Tiny Owl Dispatch (paid supporters)

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Next Reads

A few posts from the past specifically chosen to help you jumpstart your spring nature journal practice.

Nature journaling may be the most important thing you do for yourself in 2025

Harvesting A Regular And Fluid Nature Journaling Practice

Natural Alignment

I Highly Recommend…

The latest article on

Bryan Pfeiffer

’s Substack Chasing Nature. Chasing Nature was one of the first Substacks I read/subscribed to when I arrived on the platform in 2022, and it’s beloved. I especially enjoyed listening to this episode. The enthusiasm for birds and bird watching is contagious. The birdsong is uplifting. Spend an exquisite twenty-two minutes exploring the meaning of life, and bookmark it (as I have) to revisit.

Birds and the Examined Life

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Support

Cricklewood is a space where we can learn from nature and each other as we rewild. Because nature journaling is so beneficial to our well-being, I make a lot of the content available to all subscribers.

To be completely blunt, however, Cricklewood cannot exist without the support of its readers. This publication provides one of my income streams in a year with paid subscriptions funding all content creation and activities that happen here.

If you find this content interesting, valuable, and want to support this project, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

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Other ways to support my work

If a paid subscription isn’t for you, consider hiring me for illustration or purchase original art.

Or if you’d rather support my work through general patronage you can do that here, or buy art supplies for my studio here.

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And finally, if you just can’t swing a subscription but want access to all the content, just drop me an email and ask me to comp you a paid subscription. I’m happy to do so, no explanations needed. Things happen to all of us, and I don’t want lack of funds to be the reason you can’t reap the benefits of nature journaling.