The Fractal Microscope: A Distributed Computing Approach to Mathematics in Education   
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Edu/Fractal/Fractal_Home.html   
   This site is an exploration of the educational opportunities provided by the use of Fractal Microscopes. Fractals are an example of a part of nature and science that are often considered artistic. Mathematics is a method of exploring and understanding nature, and fractal geometry is a part of mathematics which involves art.   

Eco-Art Magazine   
http://www.eco-art.com/ecomag.htm   
   Eco-Art Magazine’s web-site focuses on art and ecology. The site discusses how art can function to alert the sciences about ecological issues. Articles explore how nature’s presence allows for a fusion of art and science in order to achieve an awareness about ecological issues. Includes links to other related sites.   

Acorn Naturalists   
http://acorn-group.com/p1359.htm   
   This site advertises environmental artistic activities for children, including books like Good Earth, a collection of activities for children which involve art and science. The site also explores the connections between art, science and nature by offering methods of teaching science and nature through art.   

Sara Kontoff Baker: Light Imagery: 2 and 3 Dimensional Work   
http://www.mit.edu:8001/afs/afs/athena.mit.edu/org/d/deans-gallery/www/Baker/
Baker.html  
   This site tells about the work of Sara Kontoff Baker, and artist who received a masters of Science in Visual Studies at MIT. She blends art and science in order to express nature’s processes. She works with holographs and neon to create art, and has done work with fountain environments and environmental urban planning. The site includes some thumbnails of her artwork and a summary of her goals.   

Bondi, Herman. “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” Nature Feb. 1998: 668.   
   Bondi discusses the beauty as a motivation for science. He talks about the experience of an astrophysicist who talked about the beauty of nature as his guiding light in scientific study.  The physicist was adamant about the connection between art and science, seeing science as another method of discovering the artfulness of nature.   

Carlson, Allen. “A Review of Charlotte Klonk’s Science and The Perception of Nature.” Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 56.4 (1998): 419-422.   
   Klonk’s book discusses the changes in British landscaping, and how they were a result of not only aesthetics, but of new scientific knowledge. Carlson supports her opinion, and he asserts that when we observe nature, our first reaction is subjective, but we then consider the way the world works. They both observe how  art and science combine in our interactions with nature.   

Eaton, Marcia Muelder. “Fact and Fiction in the Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature.” Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 56.2 (1998):149-56.   
   Are there ways to tell if some aesthetic experiences of nature are better than others? Muelder discusses Allen Carlson’s theory that aesthetic appreciation must be directed by knowledge about it. This article explores the philosophy that it isn’t enough to simply appreciate the beauty of  nature, one must understand it. Muelder discusses flights of the imagination, but also the importance of fact when exploring and communicating about nature.   

Edgarton, Samuel Y. “A Review of Martin Klemp’s The Science of Art: Optical Themes in Western Art from Brunnelleschi to Seurat .” Renaissance Quarterly 44 (1991) 587-98.   
   Klemp claims that Euclid, not Plato, had the greatest influence on Western Art. He discusses perspective, and the theorems in art. He also delves into the effects of the scientific study of nature on art, such as the study of color, and angles. Edgarton finds his ideas valid and adds thoughts of his own on the connections between art and science in regards to nature.   

Hale, Nathan Cabot. Abstraction in Art and Nature: A Program of Study for Artists, Teachers and Students. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1972.   
   Combining the history of Art and Science, Hale explores their relationship in regard to the study of the abstract in the natural world. The illustrations include famous paintings as well as scientific sketches and photographs. Hale also outlines activities concerning art, science and nature; the book serves as a study and exploration guide as well as an information source.   

Ritterbush, Phillip C. The Art of Organic Forms. Washington: Smithsonian Institute Press, 1968.   
   Ritterbush’s book works to explore the “creative imaginative character of science”. He discusses art and science and their overlapping. The book delves  into such topics as biological forms, symmetry and esthetics.   

Shotwell, Thomas K. “An Essay on Beauty.” Zygon Dec. 1994: 479-90.   
   In his essay, Shotwell discusses the relationships between beauty in art and beauty in science. He discusses the natural world and it’s aesthetic and scientific beauty, citing examples such as fractal geometry, physics, and landscapes.   

Weyl, Herman. Symmetry. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1952.   
   The study of symmetry as a part of nature plays a big part in the observations of both artists and scientists as is apparent in this book. Chapters explore ornamental symmetry, the mathematics of symmetry, the symmetry of crystals, and other symmetrical topics.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/   
   This site is Nova Online brought to us by the public broadcasting channel.  This site deals with all aspects of nature and gives a little scientific insight about each aspect.  For example, I went to the Einstein Revealed site which tells of the story of Einstein and how he proved his theory of general relativity using a solar eclipse.  Now a solar eclipse can be seen as a scientific happening of sorts, or it could be seen as an unusual and beautiful moment to be captured in art.  Nova Online sees the solar eclipse and other aspects of nature and scientific  wonders.   

http://www.geo.nsf.gov/   
   The National Science Foundation is a large web site so I stuck to geology.  Within the geology of the earth, one could deal with the atmospheric, earth, or ocean sciences.  I suggest, you pick one of these topics, and then go to research.  Within that link, descriptions are given about everything under the sun, and the sun as well.  Everything is explained using some scientific theory that makes complete sense.  Science sees nature as scientific, as opposed to the artist looking at a leaf and seeing anything but chlorophyll.   

http://www.sepp.org/   
   The Science and Environmental Policy Project is a government program designed to save the environment.  It explains laws, bills, and general things that go on about the government and   
what needs to be done to save it.  Once again, nature is seen as something, an object of sorts where in this case, it needs to be saved.  For example, water is looked at in it’s components to see the pollution.  And artist looks at water, and sees the beauty and the possible religious aspect of water.   

http://www.artinnature.com/index.htm   
   This web site contains some of the most amazing photography of landscapes and nature photographs I have ever seen.  It is a gallery of photographic art mainly of the Colorado Plateau,   
Rocky Mountains, and the Southwest Desert.  My suggestion is to tour the gallery and read the about the photography link.  It is all very interesting and beautiful.  However, the point is that the   
artist sees the grand canyon as a great work; a scientist would see the years it took the Colorado River to wash away to make this giant canyon and also would see the different layers of rock.  They see two different things.   

http://www.natureartists.com/   
   This once again is just a gallery of artists who happen to be particularly fond of art as their subject matter.  Their mission statement generally sums up to explain that they want to bring their viewers the best nature art around.  Which is great because it provides some great examples of how artists see nature.  They see the colors, beauty, and composition of nature, not the scientific aspects.   

   To conclude, these web sites are just examples of how nature is seen in two different ways. Scientists see nature as DNA, chlorophyll, and vertebrates, where artists see nature as beauty   
and emotional, something that needs to be expressed.   
   
Carlson, Allen.  “Nature, Aesthetic Appreciation and Art Criticism.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism.  53 (1998): 393-400.   
   Carlson’s article produces a message that the way to appreciate nature is “simply being moved by nature.” Appreciation isn’t just something that is in our heads passed on from generation to generation.  This article shows that nature is to be appreciated as an art form. Nature is not to be split into groups and subgroups, as said by this artist, it is to be moved by.   

Kemp, Martin.  “Hesse-Honegger’s Hand-Work.” Nature. 392.6676  (1997): 555.   
   Kemp’s article deals with his fascination of mutated bugs. After the Chernobyl disaster, he wanted to find if the mutated insects were the result of radiation poisoning.  However, he finds these scientific beings beautiful.  “Mutated flies are... closer to today’s reality of nature or.. Are prototypes for a future aesthetics of nature.” This scientist sees the mutations as beautiful, not in an artistic way, but in terms of science.   

Klee, Robert.  Introduction to the Philosophy of Science: Cutting Nature at it’s Seams. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997   
   This book is basically an account of scientific theories and history of how these theories came about.  They are then looked at in a philosophical point of view.  For example, chapter 6 is   
entitled “Structure of Scientific Explanation” and it deals with scientific views of nature and it’s functions.  Therefore, even when nature in a science point of view is looked at philosophically, it is still not seen as something to be appreciated for it’s artfulness.  Nature will always be something to be studied and picked apart to a scientist.   

Lagerlöf, Margaretha Rossholm.  Ideal Landscapes.  New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990   
   This book is about the function of landscape paintings.  For example, chapter two is entitled “Nature as Creation and Drama” and it deals with the emotional identification one has to art.  An artist views nature as something to be appreciated and is moved by the expression of nature.  Nature is almost a religious experience explains Lagerlöf in her chapter about nature, god, and harmony.   

Moukheiber, Zina.  “Back to Nature.” Forbes Magazine.  19 October 1998: 146-147.   
   “Biological metaphors aren’t just metaphors, it’s how the real world works, I profoundly believe,” states Moukheiber.  She uses technology and genes in her research.  In her article, she explains that all genetic material is one big circuit.  If one can figure out how normal genes deviate, then one can apply that to chip behavior.  Biology is a part of nature.  This scientist sees a human, and sees a circuit board of genes with information that can be applied to technology.   

Robbins, Jim.  “Engineers Plan to Send a River Flowing Back From Nature.” New York Times 12 May 1998: F1   
   Robbins states that the nature of levees is destructive.  Homeowners are apparently dumping rocks and earths on the banks of Snake River in Wyoming.  This is guarding against   
erosion which is necessary over time.  Where the levees are not present, such as on islands, there is much growth with different species.  Nature is therefore, something to be saved for it’s scientific nature.  This scientists views nature as a scientific wonder, not as a piece of art.