You might need to know how to describe a forest setting
if you’re writing a fantasy novel…or if you just happen to have a scene that takes place in the woods. I’ve pulled together this post of forest words and phrases, forest sounds, and forest adjectives.
Forest Words and Phrases
Specific images, sounds, and smells will make your description more vivid and make your reader feel like they’re really there. I should note that haven’t really focused on rainforests for this post, though I might do one on rainforests and jungles later.
I’m not going to name all the trees and plants, obviously! However, I’ll start out with some of the most common ones in the woods in the United States.
pines
firs
oaks
maples
ash trees
sweetgum trees
birches
dogwoods
alders
foilage
needles
wildflowers, such as trillium (Midwestern and Eastern United States), lupine, violets, bluebells (Eastern North America), columbines, black cohosh, and jack in the pulpit
in sunny spots: clover, dandelions, Queen Anne’s lace, asters, goldenrod
poison oak
poison ivy
toadstools and mushrooms
lichen
ferns
cattails (near water)
wild blackberries and raspberries
wild leeks
wild ginger
moss—often on logs or rocks
sunlight filtering through trees
rough bark
smooth bark, like on birch and beech trees
carpets of dried leaves or pine needles
winding path
trees casting long shadows
distant trees cloaked in mist
gnarled and twisted branches
the branches at the tops of tall trees touching above you
bird nests
underbrush
mud
puddles
meadow
ridge
ravine
creek
rivulet
copse
thicket
grove
stone outcropping
charred tree trunks from a wildfire
the moon and/or lots of bright stars above at night
thin branches of saplings and shrubs blocking the path
spiderwebs…sometimes beaded with rain
pine cones
acorns and acorn caps
buckeyes, from buckeye trees
spiky dried sweetgum fruits
fallen trees
butterflies
squirrels
chipmunks
deer—fawn, doe, and/or buck
raccoons
rabbits
bears
animal tracks
human footprints
litter—discarded water bottles, beer cans
the cooler temperature in the deep woods
insect bites—mosquitoes, biting flies, spiders, chiggers, ticks
thorny branches snagging a hiker’s ankle, calf, or arm
snow-covered branches
frost
By the way, because lists like this can make writing so much easier…
I’ve pulled together a book called Master Lists for Writers. So many authors use it to stay inspired, write faster, and write more. Check it out!
Now let’s move on to…
Forest Sounds
chirping birds
trilling birds, like a wood thrush
warbling birds—many birds that do this are called warblers
chattering birds
tapping of a woodpecker
hooting owls
screeching red-tailed hawks
cawing and croaking crows
flapping of bat wings
hum of junebug wings
buzz of mosquitos
chirping crickets
croaking frogs
coyote or wolf howl
squirrels running across branches
wind rustling through leaves and/or pine needles
babbling or rushing of a nearby stream or creek
rumbling thunder
cracks of lightning
raindrops falling on leaves
footsteps
snapping of a twig underfoot
squelching sound of feet in mud
zipping/unzipping of a tent flap
the hush of the woods after snow
icicles dripping during a thaw
Forest Smells
rotting wood
decaying leaves
damp earth
fresh green leaves
sugary smell of maple leaves in the fall
fresh pine needles and pine resin
skunk
campfire smoke
Forest Adjectives
evergreen
towering
stately
immense
majestic
peaceful
serene
dark
gloomy
foreboding
murky
misty
deep
dense
overgrown
dappled
sunlit
moonlit
idyllic
uninhabited
undisturbed
unspoiled
pristine
virgin
pure
wild
ancient
mysterious
sacred
cathedral-like
sanctuary-like
sheltering
welcoming
lush
flourishing
verdant
emerald
golden
gilded
russet
scarlet
leafless
stark
bare
hushed
magical
enchanting
Do you know any good examples of how to describe a forest?
Do you enjoy describing settings, or is it something go back and do after a first draft? Let us know in the comments! Thanks for reading, and have a great week!
Thank you, Bryn. I’m working on a series set in the Ozarks,, and a separate western time travel that I’m funneling through a critique group. All have forest scenes. Your lists will definitely come in handy.
To answer your question, I write a skeleton rough draft first, then go back and fill in the details. I love adding descriptions to help the reader live in the scene.
Thanks for the romp through the forest, Bryn. I was going to add things about the forests in the Pacific Northwest, but my mind kept sneaking back to the Colorado Rockies of my childhood. Thundering waterfall, golden aspen interlaced with pine, gurgle of streams, hushed, rumble of rocks crashing down the mountain creek at spring run-off, “water” sound of wind in the tall pines, grunt of a bear, porcupine waddling up the mountain, leaping water, and people sounds and smells such as crackle of campfire, “ollie ollie ocks in free,” and from a song my sister and I wrote, “the smell of bread baking on rainy afternoons and sheets perfumed from drying in the sun.”
Thanks for the list Bryn. There are so many good choices here. I’ll keep it on hand. Take care.
wild berries/brambles, earthen path, lost road, natural spring, waterfall, faerie rings