Give part of your September weekend to looking a little closer. A familiar path, a garden border or the tree outside your window can offer enough inspiration for a walk, a sketch or a letter to someone you miss.

In the UK, September sits between summer flowers and the first signs of autumn. The change arrives at different times from place to place, so let what you see guide you. If you are reading from another part of the world, use these ideas to notice your own season, whether it brings turning leaves, lingering summer warmth or spring growth.

1 Take a walk with one colour in mind

Choose a colour before you head outside. You might look for the yellow in a fading leaf, the purple of a late flower or the brown of a seedhead. Follow a short, familiar route and stop whenever your colour appears.

Take a few photographs, or make a note of where you found it. When you get home, try mixing that shade with paints or finding it among your coloured pencils. A row of small colour swatches makes a lovely record of the weekend. A park bench or a view from your window works for this activity too.

2 Spend five minutes beside late flowers

Look for a patch of flowers that still has visitors. In the UK, mature ivy flowers from September to November, offering nectar and pollen to insects including bees, hoverflies and wasps. Its small yellow-green flower clusters are easy to overlook.

Stand a little back and watch one patch for five minutes. Which flower gets the most attention? Does an insect stay on one cluster or move quickly between them? Jot down what you notice. You can return another day to see whether the visitors have changed.

3 Start a September nature journal

Open a notebook and write the date, the place and a few words about the weather. Choose one thing to draw: the outline of a leaf, a flower seen from the side or a seedhead with an interesting shape. Pencil is plenty to begin with.

Add a sentence starting with “Today I noticed…” and another beginning “I wonder why…”. Leave room for a photograph or a later observation. A crooked stem or an uneven petal belongs on the page just as much as a carefully finished drawing. You are making a record of something you stopped to see.

4 Watch the season change in one place

Pick a tree, a stretch of hedge or a flowerbed you can easily visit again. Photograph it from the same spot each September weekend and write down one difference, however small.

Perhaps a flower has opened, a leaf has changed colour or a bare stem is now easier to see. Some weekends the view may look much the same. Keep the dates with your pictures; by the end of the month, you will have a small collection to compare and use for a journal spread.

5 Leave a little shelter in the garden

If you are beginning an autumn tidy, choose a quiet corner where fallen leaves and a few pieces of dead wood can stay. Leave some dry stems and seedheads standing too. The RSPB recommends these simple steps because they provide shelter for insects and small mammals as colder weather approaches.

Keep the paths you use clear, then enjoy looking at the shapes that remain in the border. Try sketching a seedhead as a silhouette, using a single pencil or pen. Look for its main lines first, then add the smaller branches and dots.

6 Make a rainy afternoon into drawing time

If rain changes your plans, settle near a window with paper and a warm drink. Watch where droplets gather on leaves, or how branches move when the wind picks up. Draw the same small view twice, leaving a few minutes between sketches.

You could also paint from a photograph taken on your walk. Choose just three colours and make a small study that fits on a postcard. Let it dry while you read or listen to the rain, then come back and decide whether it needs another layer.

7 Send someone a little of your weekend

Turn a sketch or a photograph into a note for a friend. Tell them where you went and describe one detail you would have liked them to see. If they live far away, ask what is flowering or changing where they are.

A hand-drawn leaf in the corner of a letter is a lovely place to start. You could make it a September tradition, sending a short note after your Sunday walk and keeping a copy of the drawing in your journal.

Make room for a little creativity

Choose whichever idea fits the weekend you have. Ten minutes beside a flowerbed or a single page in a notebook is a good beginning.

At Libby & Alice, our monthly Mail Club celebrates flowers, art and the pleasure of receiving something thoughtful in the post, with botanical stationery and creative inspiration. If these ideas have made you want to pick up a pencil or write a letter, we would love to welcome you.

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What have you noticed outside this September? Share a small discovery in the comments. We would love to hear what the season looks like where you are.