
Paperbark Writer
Australian nature meets science and art
By Paula Peeters
Latest blog posts

Connecting to nature through ‘feel-good’ nature journaling: Practising the KNACK
Rain patters on the roof and drums down the gutters, but doesn’t deter our resident Little Wattlebird. He or she is croaking and squawking raucously from the banksia, surrounded by blooms. I can hear the rain and the bird as I write this: I feel happily connected to nature, in this beloved place I call home. But many people are not so fortunate.
A recent study has found that human connection to nature has declined by more than 60% since 1800. The research also predicts that levels of nature connectedness will continue to decline unless far-reaching changes are made.1
“Nature connectedness is now accepted as a key root cause of the environmental crisis” said Professor Miles Richardson, author of the study. “It’s vitally important for our own mental health as well.”1,2
The main aim of my work is to connect people with nature. I do this by creating images and writing about nature, often together, and selling these creations on a range of items, and also through practising and teaching nature journaling. I started out doing this mostly to help nature: along the way I have also realised how important nature connection is for human health.
This post describes an approach to nature journaling that I think is accessible to a wide range of people and is focussed on connecting to nature. I call it ‘feel-good’ nature journaling.

Tree hollows are animal homes #4 – Wheatbelt Woodlands of Western Australia
Yay – the next ‘Tree hollows are animal homes’ design is here! Thanks to the Moore Catchment Council, Eucalypt Australia and Iluka, I can now offer you a free poster and colour-ins all about the hollow-dwelling fauna of the Western Australian Wheatbelt Woodlands. Read more to find the download links….

A native fish hotspot
I love fish. If I didn’t have a very strong aversion to cold water, I think I may have become a fish biologist.
Anyway, it ended up not to be… but I was thrilled last year when Kevin Warburton from Charles Sturt University asked me to illustrate some freshwater fish…

New greeting cards for 2025
I’m very pleased to release 5 new greeting cards for 2025. They all feature birds… seems to be quite a common theme here! …. but one also has a MAMMAL! Yay how exciting. And a marine mammal at that.
All cards are $4.60 each, printed in Australia on recycled stock, and include a recycled paper envelope.

Nature wonders of Victoria
Last year I was invited to create a conference bag design that showed some of the most-loved and/or unique native species of Victoria. It was for the Ecological Society of Australia's annual conference, which was held in Melbourne in December 2024. Apparently the...

Sketching at the Zoo
I recently treated myself to a whole day at the Melbourne Zoo, drawing animals. Seeing animals in captivity fills me with mixed feelings, but I tried to focus on the sheer wonder of each critter. I also respect the care and dedication shown by zoo staff - like this...
The next ‘Tree hollows are animal homes’ design is here!
#3 Eucalypt Woodlands of south-eastern Australia
‘Tree hollows are animal homes’ is a series of designs inspired by the relationship between the many Australian animal species that use hollows and the trees that provide them.
This design is available on posters, art prints and other goodies from my Redbubble store.
Bulk orders of the detailed poster design can be arranged by emailing paula.peeters@paperbarkwriter.com Click here for wholesale prices.
A simplified version of this design is also available as a Organic Cotton Tea Towel.
Thanks to Prof Don Butler for providing the vegetation map and data.
Read more about this design here.
Previous designs in the series: ‘Tree hollows are animal homes’
#1 Eucalypt Open Forests, south-eastern Australia
#2 Eucalypt Tall Open Forests, south-eastern Australia
Click here for wholesale prices for educational poster ‘Tree hollows are animal homes #1 and #2’.
These designs are available on posters, prints and other goodies via my Redbubble store.
A walk in the mountain forests
My nature journal of Binna Burra, Beechmont and beyond
Discover the richness of the mountain forests through the playful, diverse and beautiful pages of Paula’s nature journal.
Paperback, 17 x 22.3 cm, 206 pages, full colour throughout with over 196 original illustrations. Printed in Australia on recycled paper.
Download a sample

Organic cotton tea towels

Greeting cards

Magnets

Books
Redbubble store
Here you can purchase clothing, prints, posters and other goods with my designs. They’re printed on demand and shipped straight to you from Redbubble.
Buy selected garments through my Redbubble store and 25 % of the retail price will be donated to environmental and animal welfare charities
Go to Redbubble store

Nature journaling workshop at Binna Burra; Photos by Renata Buziak
Escape…
Into the Wildworld, and discover The Kinship of All. Read Stories of the Wildworld.
Read a sample
Buy Stories of the Wildworld
