Kate Rutter

Join us for our 2026 Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Retreats, including the Sierra Nevada Mindful Nature Journaling Retreat October 13-18 with Kate Rutter @katerutter and Rob Wade! Join us for a joyful, restorative, and rejuvenating retreat at the beautiful Big Springs Garden Retreat Center in Sierra City, CA. Through mindfulness exercises, sensory awareness, and nature journaling, we will wander, explore, and sketch the beauty of the Sierra Nevada in the fall season. HOW CAN I SIGN UP? Registration will open later this month, and our trips often sell out in days. Folks on our mailing list are the first to hear when signups open. You can sign up for our mailing list at the link in bio or wildwonder.org/subscribe WHAT ARE WILD WONDER NATURE JOURNALING RETREATS? Led by experienced and engaging educators, Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Retreats offer you the opportunity to deepen your nature journaling practice while inspiring you, challenging you, and encouraging you to connect with nature, other nature journalers, and yourself. The vibe is joyful, kind, enthusiastic, supportive, and fun…and nature journalers of ALL experience levels are welcome! In 2026, we are excited to offer five retreats: (plus a Sandhill Crane Adventure!) — Sandhill Crane Migration Celebration in Nebraska: March 20-22 with John Muir Laws —Point Reyes National Seashore, CA: April 27-30, with John Muir Laws and Catherine Hamilton —Hog Island, ME: May 31-June 5, Charlotte Belland and Michael Boardman — Wolf Ridge, MN; July 12-17 with John Muir Laws and Roseann Hanson — Olympic National Park, WA: August 16-21 with John Muir Laws, Debby Kaspari, and Maria Coryell-Martin —Sierra Nevada, CA: October 13-18, with Kate Rutter and Rob Wade Visit the link in bio or wildwonder.org/adventures26 to learn more. Registration will open later this month, and our trips often sell out in days. Folks on our mailing list are the first to hear when signups open. You can sign up for our mailing list at the link in bio or wildwonder.org/subscribe

We’re so excited that Kate Rutter @katerutter will be one of the instructors at this fall’s Sierra Nevada Nature Journaling Retreat in Sierra City, CA on October 13-18, 2026 along with John Muir Laws @johnmuirlaws , and special guest, Rob Wade. Kate Rutter is an avid nature journaler, urban naturalist, and educator from Emeryville, California, who enlivens nature-human connection through observation, experimentation, and sketching. She invites people to make creative connections with the world around them through documented curiosity and wonder. A lifelong sketcher with an experimental and rambunctious visual practice, Kate teaches online workshops, leads sketching excursions and retreats, and hosts nature journaling events in gardens, parks, and nurseries. Kate is the author/illustrator of Bay Area Botanical, is one of the illustrators of the zine, Your Quick Start Guide to Nature Journaling, and the creator of the zine, 7 Ways to Connect with Nature. Kate holds a B.A. in Studio Art from Wellesley College and serves on the board of the Wild Wonder Foundation. Join us for a joyful, restorative, and rejuvenating retreat at the beautiful Big Springs Garden Retreat Center in Sierra City, CA. Through nature journaling, mindfulness exercises, and sensory awareness, we will wander, explore, and sketch the beauty of the Sierra Nevada in the fall season. HOW CAN I SIGN UP? Registration is open now! Visit the link in bio or wildwonder.org/adventures26 to learn more and register! All art in this post by @katerutter #wildwonderfoundation #naturejournaling #natureeducation #fieldsketching #natureart

** New book! ** Announcing the release of my book ~Bay Area Botanical~ From a tiny seed in Apr 2024 to full bloom in Dec 2025, this project grew from a series of daily drawings into a printed guide for celebrating native plants all year long. The more we know and appreciate native plants, the more love and care they will receive. My hope is that this book offers a personal and personable guide for falling in love with local flora. As we enter the winter rainy season in CA, many of these plants are preparing to bloom, and I'm thrilled that this book is available as a guide to appreciating our plant kin. ** Link in bio to buy the book ** :: About the book :: Bay Area Botanical is a full-color illustrated guide that introduces you to 26 plants native to the Bay Area of California. At 75 pages printed on 100% recycled paper, this book is knapsack-friendly and accessible for all ages. Use it as both a lighthearted reference and as a companion for walks, rambles, and hikes. Each of the 26 native plants is featured with a brief description and a portrait. A Supplement includes a calendar of when to see each plant in full blooming splendor, and a glossary de-mystifies specific botanical and scientific terms. Bay Area Botanical is half science, half art, and all fun! A portion of all proceeds is donated to native plant protections via the California Native Plant Society @californianativeplantsociety - #BayAreaBotanical #CNPS #NativePlants #NativePlantsA2Z #PlantKin #PlantTeachers #NatureJournal #DrawingPlants #NewBook #NationalNativePlantMonth #WooHoo @cnps_eastbay @yerba.buena.cnps

Reason #4267 to love your local public library: picking a double feature that defies the algorithm.

*** Upcoming Event ******⁠ Nature Journaling Meetup @ Albany Bulb, East Bay SF Bay Area It's our quarterly meetup! Come nature journal at the urban wilds of Albany Bulb. This bayside park has a wide variety of flora and fauna...native plants, birds in the estuary, trees, a small beach, views of the bay over to SF and Marin. Bring your own journaling supplies and spend the afternoon discovering the fascinating ecology of the Bulb while expanding, practicing, and sharing your nature journal skills. OMG the Bulb is POPPIN' right now. Like literally, the poppies are everywhere, glowing like neon flags -- the wild radish is ravishing - the monkeyflower are grinning -- the buckeye blooms are spiketacular. Let's journal this wonder! * Sat May 16, 1-4pm * Free; $5-$20 suggested donation to Love the Bulb. * Link in bio to sign up #AlbanyBulb #albanybulbart #lovethebulb #naturejournaling #naturejournal #Natureconnectedness #NatureJournalclub #CommunitySketching #AbolishIce

** Let's talk plant observation and illustration! ** Join John Muir Laws @johnmuirlaws and me live in conversation as we discuss my book Bay Area Botanical, published in December 2025. We’ll talk about how the book came to be, the joys and throes of self-publishing, and anything else the group wants to hear about. Watch out, you just might leave the session inspired to make your own little hyper-local book. ;) Jack is a fantastic host, and a fantabulous artist, scientist, journaler, and human. Come join the fun as we geek out about plants, books, and community! Free online event. All ages and experience levels are welcome. No registration is necessary. Suggested contribution to support the amazing work Jack does for the world. * Thu May 14 * 10-11:30am Pacific Time * Online * Free * Link in bio * A recording will be available via YouTube after the live event. #BookTalk #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #BayAreaBotanical #BayAreaBotanicalBook #JohnMuirLaws

A coupla years ago, Mom and I drew unguided contour portraits of each other. It was magical. The result? Strange and funny and loving and attentive. But the process was intense and joyful and tender and so very memorable. Three minutes, three portraits, and an experience that still shimmers. (Portraits of Mom on left. That's me on the right. Bottom ones are guided contour with a little peeking, ;) Unguided contour is one of my favoritest things. And the DrawTogetherStrangers project by @WendyMac and @drawtogether.studio is also one of my favoritest things. So maybe this is a spin-off of that project: DrawTogetherLovedOnes. After all, why not share the love with beloveds as well as with strangers? A little longer blog post about this is on my site, but you probably get the gist. Give it a try. Oh, and happy Mother's Day, recognizing that there are so many ways to mother and to be mothered and to share compassionate, generative, caretaking love. Let this be a day of love and loving for you.

It's baby bird season, so bringing this back from ye olde 2022 nature journal. Discovering this nest was my first time seeing babymouth jays, and I got to observe them over a few weeks (always from a respectful distance.) THOSE BABY MOUTHS. I loved these little guys and was so happy when they fledged. Thank you, jayfamily for teaching me so much about baby birds. :D #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #NatureObservation #NatureForAll #NatureSketching #Naturedrawing #JoyInNature #Curiosity #NatureNoticing #NoticingNature #MindfulAttention #NatureConnection

The annual post! Another year, another new line begins in the Finitude! ⁠ Some say "another circle around the sun" (which is astrologically logical) but for me it's "a new line in the grid" which is both useful and enlightening. When visualized, we see that this life is finite, and every day precious. Hence the Finitude, my version of a LifeGrid. Some folks feel that a LifeGrid is depressing, but I find it to be uplifting...coloring in one square at the close of the week is a rritual that it deepens my gratitude and brings daily appreciation.⁠ So happy newline day to all who celebrate!⁠ ⁠ Attrib: The LifeGrid concept comes from @timurban TED talk: Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator (watch to timestamp 13:03 near the end /watch?v=arj7oStGLkU%E2%81%A0) ⁠ Key: The colored squares represent family members and their month of passing. The grey part at the bottom is the overlap of the spouse lifegrid, always good to make the most of the time we have together.⁠ ⁠ #birthdaywishes⁠ #lifegrid⁠ #appreciation⁠ #thankful

Pickleweed is so cool. Like obsession-worthy cool. Also, edible. #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #NatureObservation #NatureForAll #NatureSketching #Naturedrawing #JoyInNature #Curiosity #NatureNoticing #NoticingNature #MindfulAttention #NatureConnection #Pickleweed #SalicorniaPacifica #Baylands #BaylandsPaloAlto

Liberty mutual has canceled condo insurance in California. Because apparently 15 million is not enough for Tim. I hate it here. Enshittification is real.

Summer Nature Journaling Series @ The Foster Museum [onsite workshops] Summer is coming!! Celebrate the beauty and wonder of nature through journaling, a magical blend of art and science that deepens our connection with nature. In this seasonal workshop series led by Kate Rutter, you’ll learn simple and fun ways to observe deeply, to sketch and draw from nature, to note and quantify natural phenomena, and to creatively express your nature experiences in the pages of a journal. Learn more & register @ link in bio Each seasonal series has four sessions (three workshops and a field trip) spread over two days. Take all four sessions for a holistic experience (and get a discounted price,) or pick and choose the sessions that best fit your interests. Day 1: – Intro to Nature Journaling - Sun May 17, 10:00am-12:30pm ~ $45 – Color in Your Nature Journal - Sun May 17, 1:00-3:30pm ~ $45 Day 2: – Celebrating Place in Your Nature Journal - Sun Jun 14, 10:00am-12:30pm ~ $45 – Field Trip: Baylands Nature Journaling Experience - Sun Jun 14, 1:30-4:00pm ~ $20 * Full Series (all four sessions) advanced purchase only: $140 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - These times: The US is not okay right now. Please be kind with yourself. It's a time to Practice self-care. Make art. Touch grass. And if you have the energy: Call your reps. Organize. Protect your community. Fight against fascism. Use your voice. Breathe in active hope. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - @thefostermuseum #FosterMuseum #NatureJournal #NatureJournaling #NatureObservation #NatureForAll #NatureSketching #Naturedrawing #JoyInNature #Curiosity #NatureNoticing #NoticingNature #Workshop #Observation #FieldSketching #AbolishICE