Drawing nature can raise terrific questions and chances to learn about wildlife and phenomena. John Muir Laws has been drawing and teaching nature journaling for more than 25 years. This month: how to find signs of beavers, which are making a comeback.

Beavers help hydrate our wetlands. Can you find beaver clues in your neighborhood?
Beaver signs to look for: chewed trunks or branches, wood chips under trees, stripped branches. Plus bank or hut lodges and dams.
More beaver signs to look for: canals, which beavers maintain through floating vegetation; tracks; scent mounds, in May and June; compressed sawdust scat pellets; and patches of uprooted or cut tule floating on water.
Where and when to find beavers in the SF Bay Area. Learn more at martinezbeavers.org.

Naturalist and illustrator John Muir Laws is the author of the Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada and Sierra Birds: A Hiker's Guide. Learn more and find class schedules at johnmuirlaws.com.