Encounter Nature

Encounter is a guided nature journal that lives on your phone. Create beautiful diary entries complete with images, your location and the weather. Find inspiration and ideas specific to your area and the time of year. Tag the things you see to help monitor how the natural world is faring, and make the app smarter over time.

This free app from nature writer Melissa Harrison will help you develop a new habit of noticing, one that will deepen your connection to nature and transform your daily life. Recording the things you experience is one of the most powerful ways to boost nature connectedness – and that can benefit both your own wellbeing, and the natural world itself. Tailored tips and prompts will let you know what you can look and listen out for and when, from frogspawn to the arrival of migratory birds like swifts, the first spring butterflies to hedgerow fruit. Invitations to contribute to citizen science projects or join local conservation initiatives help you get involved and care for wildlife. Articles from Encounter’s friends and partners allow you to discover more about the wildlife you live alongside.

The nature information contained in Encounter is designed for people in Great Britain and Ireland. Over time, as users tag the species and natural phenomena they see, that information will become richer and more location-specific. Join us and be part of a collaborative project to reconnect people on these islands to the rich natural world we all share.