A band of fallen petals around the foot of a treeGather petals from the ground. Lay them where the trunk meets the earth, right around.
A butterfly laid flat: a twig body and two pairs of leaves for wingsFind two pairs of matching leaves and one twig. Lay the twig as the body and a pair of leaves each side.
A color line of fallen leaves running from green to redGather fallen leaves in every shade. Lay the green ones first, then yellow, orange and red, edges overlapping.
A fade from whole dry leaves down to leaf crumbsLay whole leaves at one end, torn halves next, then crumbled bits, finishing in a dusting of specks.
A leaf river: one winding band of a single color across the grassGather one color only. Lay a band that bends twice and stays the same width from end to end.
A leaf spiral that starts with the smallest leafSort one kind of leaf by size. Begin in the middle with the smallest and wind outward.
A sun of yellow leaves around a patch of bare earthBrush a round patch clear with your hand. Lay yellow leaves around it, stalks inward, tips out like rays.
A tree trunk's shadow filled in with leavesOn a sunny day, cover the trunk's shadow with leaves before it moves. Then watch the shadow slide off.
Fallen blossom laid along a crack in the sidewalkCollect petals from under a flowering tree. Lay them along the crack, each one over the edge of the last.
Leaves laid along a fallen log like roof tilesStart at one end. Each leaf covers the stalk of the one before, with all the tips pointing one way.
One leaf's shape made huge out of many leavesChoose a leaf as the model. Lay others along its outline, enlarged, then add a stalk and the main veins.
Two colors of fallen leaf laid in turn like a game boardPick two colors of the same kind of leaf. Lay them in turn, row under row, so no two neighbors match.
Stones and pebbles 12
A coil of pebbles set into a finger-drawn groove on the beachDraw the spiral with a finger first. Press pebbles into the groove from the middle outward.
A fish outline in flat stones, each row lapping over the lastGather flat stones. Lay the tail first and overlap each row toward the head; one dark pebble is the eye.
A line of pebbles marking where a rock's shadow pointsLay pebbles from the rock to the tip of its shadow. Come back later and see how far the shadow has moved.
A line of stones shading from darkest to palestCollect stones in a heap, then sort by shade. Lay the dark end first and finish with the palest.
A pale stripe of white pebbles across a patch of dark onesPick out every white pebble in reach. Lay them in one straight band over the darker ground.
A pebble mosaic of one big waveSort pebbles into dark, mid and pale. Lay the dark curl of the wave first and the pale foam last.
A row of pebbles sorted from largest to smallestGather pebbles of many sizes. Lay the biggest first, then each one a little smaller, touching.
A stone path that narrows until it is one pebble wideStart five stones across. Take one away from each row until a single pebble ends the path.
A stone sun: one round rock with rays of long pebblesFind the roundest rock and a handful of long thin pebbles. Lay the pebbles pointing out from it.
A wavy line of pebbles copying the tide markFind the line the last wave left. Lay pebbles along it, one touching the next, as far as you can.
Egg-shaped pebbles in a hollow with a wall of bigger stonesScoop a shallow dip. Set the smoothest pebbles inside and ring them with rougher stones.
Giant footprints of pebbles striding up the beachLay an oval of pebbles for each sole and five small ones for toes. Space them a giant's stride apart.
Sticks, bark and cones 12
A ladder of branches and short rungs lying up a slopeLay two long branches side by side, then short sticks across them as rungs, evenly spaced.
A line of cones sorted from tight shut to wide openCollect fallen cones. Lay the most closed one first and the most open one last.
A mat of sticks laid over and under each otherLay a row of sticks side by side. Thread others across, over one and under the next.
A nest big enough to sit in, built from fallen twigs and dry grassLay a ring of thick sticks. Build inward and upward with thinner twigs, then line it with dry grass.
A row of short twigs leaned on a root and roofed with bark scrapsLean short twigs in a row against the root, then roof them with scraps of fallen bark.
A row of twig arches, each a little taller than the lastFind bendy fallen twigs. Push both ends into soft ground, the shortest arch first.
A staircase of sticks from shortest to longestLay sticks side by side with one end of each in line. The other ends climb like steps.
A sunburst of sticks around a tree stumpGather straight sticks. Lay them around the stump pointing outward, long and short in turn.
A trail of small cones leading to the biggest coneStand the biggest cone at the end. Lay the small ones in a curving line that leads up to it.
A zigzag of twigs leaning on one anotherProp twigs in pairs like tent poles. Each new pair leans on the last so the zigzag stands by itself.
Fallen bark pieces fitted together like a puzzleGather loose bark from the ground. Turn and fit the pieces edge to edge on a flat patch.
Five equal sticks crossed into a star on bare groundFind five sticks the same length. Lay them as one unbroken star, each crossing two others.
Sand, mud and snow 12
A flower stamped in snow with boot heelsStamp one print for the middle. Stamp a ring of prints around it with the heels toward the center.
A giant fingerprint drawn in damp sandDraw a small loop with a stick. Keep adding lines around it that almost touch but never cross.
A maze scratched in sand for one pebble to travelDraw the way through first as a single winding line. Add the dead ends afterward.
A picture swept in a light snowfall with a branchUse a leafy fallen branch as a broom. Where you sweep, the dark ground shows as the line.
A ridge of dripped wet sand along the tide lineScoop very wet sand and let it dribble from your fingers. The drips pile into little towers in a row.
A row of mud prints on a flat stone, fading as the mud runs outPress a muddy palm down, then again beside it without more mud, until the last print barely shows.
A row of snow angels joined at the fingertipsMake the first angel, step out along its body, then lie down an arm's reach away for the next.
A spiral walked into fresh snowStart at the outside and walk inward with small steps, keeping the gap between your tracks even.
A wave pattern pressed into wet sand with the side of a handPress and rock the edge of your hand to make one curve. Repeat in rows so the curves nest.
Raked lines in sand that bend around one stoneUse a forked stick as a rake. Drag straight lines first, then curve them around the stone.
Snowballs lined up from tiny to hugeRoll the smallest first. Set each new one beside the last, a little bigger every time.
Your own shadow outlined in sand by a friendStand still while a friend drags a stick around your shadow. Swap places and overlap the two.
Circles and rings 12
A bullseye of leaves: a disc of one color and two bands around itSort leaves into three colors. Lay a solid disc of one, then a band of each of the others around it.
A cartwheel on the ground: sticks for spokes, small stones for the rimSet one pebble as the hub. Lay sticks out from it, then close the rim with a ring of small stones.
A circle of stones with one gap like an open doorLay the ring with stones touching. Leave a single space one stone wide, facing the path.
A circle scratched in the dirt by turning on one heelHold a long stick out to the ground. Turn slowly on the spot so its tip draws around you.
A moon of pale stones with half of it filled inLay the outline as a full ring. Fill one half with more pale stones and leave the other half bare.
A ring around a puddle so the sky sits in the middleFind a still puddle. Lay leaves or pebbles right around its edge and look at the clouds in it.
A ring of winged seeds all pointing the same way aroundGather winged seeds from the ground. Lay them head to tail so the ring seems to spin.
A round of bare grass cleared out of fallen leavesPick a spot deep in leaves. Clear a circle down to the grass and pile the leaves as a rim.
Acorn caps set rim to rim in a loop, hollows to the skyCollect caps from under an oak. Lay them rim to rim in a circle, hollow side to the sky.
Four nested bands: stones outside, then sticks, leaves and seedsGather all four first. Lay the outer band of stones as a ring, then work inward one material at a time.
Ripples of pebbles spreading from one big stoneSet the big stone down first. Lay a ring of pebbles around it, then wider rings with wider gaps.
Small pebbles circling one wildflower that stays rootedLeave the flower alone. Lay small pebbles around it, a hand's width out from the stem.
How it works
Land art is made outdoors from what is lying on the ground. These 60 land art ideas keep two rules: use only what has already fallen, and take a photograph home, leaving the piece and nothing else behind.
Read the full guide
Choose by what is underfoot
The groups follow the material: Leaves and petals, Stones and pebbles, Sticks, bark and cones, and Sand, mud and snow. Circles and rings works with any of them, from acorn caps set rim to rim in a loop to ripples of pebbles spreading from one big stone.
Gather first, then lay
Each hint says what to gather, or what to mark the ground with, and the order to work in. Sorting comes before building: a color line of fallen leaves running from green to red only works once every leaf is in its pile.
Photograph the piece from straight above, then from the side with its shadow.
Wind and rain finish the work. Come back the next day and photograph what is left.
Questions and answers
What is land art?
Land art, also called earth art, is an art movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Its materials are often those found on the site, such as soil, rocks, plants and water, and photographs carry the work to people elsewhere.
What are easy land art ideas?
Easy holds the ones that need one kind of find and one move, such as a row of pebbles sorted from largest to smallest, a sunburst of sticks around a tree stump, or a spiral walked into fresh snow.
Where can you make land art?
In your own yard, or a place whose rules allow it. Some do not: US national parks prohibit disturbing plants and minerals from their natural state (36 CFR 2.1). This page is unofficial and not legal advice; the posted rules decide.
What do you need for land art?
Nothing brought from home except a camera. The pieces here are built from fallen leaves, petals, seeds, stones, sticks, bark, cones, dry grass, sand, mud or snow found on the spot, and a stick does the raking and drawing.