The Illinois Nature Journal
Twelve printable month pages: a reference side built from public nature data for your state, and a field-notes side that is yours.
- Twelve month pages, one per month
- A reference side built from public data for your state
- A field-notes side that stays blank until you fill it
- Undated — print it again every year
- Designed for Letter and A4, one page per sheet
$14.00one-time
Instant download · yours to keep, with no account and no renewal · full refund within 30 days
A look inside
What the Illinois pages actually look like
From the Illinois edition
Some of what is actually in it
Each Illinois month page carries that month's reference side — the blooms, trees and butterflies Illinois actually has then. Names you will meet in it:
- Virginia Bluebells
- Bloodroot
- Pale Purple Coneflower
- Rattlesnake Master
- Compass Plant
- Prairie Blazing Star
- New England Aster
- White Oak
- Bur Oak
- Shagbark Hickory
- Sugar Maple
- Eastern Cottonwood
- Bald Cypress
- Monarch
- Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
- Black Swallowtail
- Great Spangled Fritillary
- Regal Fritillary
- Red Admiral
How the Illinois year breaks down
Counted, not claimed
Across the twelve Illinois month pages the reference side draws on 7 wildflowers, 6 trees, 6 butterflies and 7 things coming into season locally.
In the box
Exactly what you receive
| Illinois pages | 15 pages — twelve month pages plus covers and how-to |
|---|---|
| Format | PDF, laid out for both Letter and A4 |
| Delivery | An instant download link, plus a link you can re-open for 72 hours |
| Access | Yours to keep — no expiry, no account, no subscription |
| Refunds | Full refund within 30 days, no questions |
How it works
From checkout to the field
Buy it
Checkout takes a card and an email address — no account to create.
Open it straight away
The download link appears immediately and the Illinois files are yours to keep.
Use it through the year
Print the Illinois pages you want and take them outside; they are laid out with room to write on as the season moves.
Free and paid, side by side
The Illinois pages here stay free. Here is what the edition adds.
| The free Illinois pages | The Illinois Nature Journal | |
|---|---|---|
| What it covers | The month Illinois is in, free and always | All twelve Illinois months, planned before they arrive |
| Garden timing | The notes for your zone, once the site knows it | Every Illinois zone from 5a–7b, side by side on the page |
| Where you can read it | On a screen, wherever Illinois has signal | On paper, in the field, with no signal at all |
| Price | Free, and staying that way | $14.00 once — no renewal, no account |
Before you buy
Who this is for
Made for
- People who keep a record and want the reference already on the page
- Teachers and parents doing a year of nature with a child
- Anyone who prefers paper to another app
Not for
- Anyone wanting a dated planner — these pages are deliberately undated so you can print them again next year
Everything here describes typical timing across Illinois, drawn from long-run records — weather, elevation and how close you are to water all move the real dates around. So the Illinois pages say "usually early May" and never "May 4th", which is not hedging but the most the data can honestly carry.
Where it comes from
Compiled from
USGS Breeding Bird Survey · State fish & wildlife agencies · USA National Phenology Network · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center · Cooperative Extension (land-grant directory) · International Meteor Organization. How each of these is used in the Illinois edition, and which figures are measured rather than modeled, is set out in the methodology.
Questions
Before you decide
Is this specific to Illinois, or a national guide with the name swapped in?
It is built from Illinois's own data. Each month's reference side is written from Illinois's data for that month, not a national average.
Illinois spans several hardiness zones — which one does this cover?
All of them. Illinois runs 5a–7b, and the guide carries each zone's timing rather than picking one and hoping it fits your garden.
How accurate is the timing for Illinois?
It describes typical timing across Illinois drawn from long-run records, and because weather, elevation and habitat move real Illinois dates around it says "usually early May" rather than "May 4th".
Is it worth paying when the Illinois pages here are free?
The free Illinois pages are the month you are in; this is the whole Illinois year, planned before it arrives and printable, so you are not holding a screen in the garden.
Will it work for my part of Illinois, or just the big cities?
It is written at state resolution — Illinois as a whole, with regional notes where Illinois genuinely differs end to end, and nothing behind it is recorded finely enough to honestly promise more than that.
What format is the Illinois edition, and can I print it?
A PDF laid out for both Letter and A4, one page per sheet — printing it is the point, since the Illinois pages are made to be carried outside.
What if the Illinois guide is not what I expected?
Email hello@birchcompass.com within 30 days for a full refund on the Illinois edition, and keep the files either way — asking for them back would be theatre.
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