I started this nature blog back in college when I wanted to practice being a science writer while getting my biology degree. Later I added an agricultural communications minor, and my professors encouraged blogging and social media marketing. The blog continued a few years after I graduated, but the content became harder to keep up with because I was no longer surrounded by the scientific community or traveling to gain new outdoor experiences. I started supplementing with book reviews, neighborhood photography, and my return to traditional art–they were my new life.
After a hiatus from blogging, I’ve decided to split my interests into two blogs. Here I will stay nature-focused: hiking stories, reviews on science books, nature art, and sharing some of my favorite or new nature knowledge. Over at Library of Markum I will write about what I’ve read or some philosophizing spurred from what I’ve read.
The name ‘Chestnut Leaf Media’ I derived from the history of the American chestnut tree and equine and paper symbolism. The American chestnut was a reiterated story in my biology classes. It was a “cradle to casket” tree, logged to be fencing, housing, furniture and crafts back in the day when everyone chopped their own wood. It also made up 25% of trees in the east. It was almost obliterated by the Chestnut Blight, caused by a fungus that was introduced with an Asiatic chestnut species, and intensive logging. In addition, “leaf” can also mean “paper” and represent writing.
Chestnut Leaf Media 
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