The importance of soil science in various research fields has increased tremendously over the past decades. Soils are among the most fundamental elements that support life on Earth. They provide numerous ecosystem services and document past environments and cultural heritage. Many renowned scholars contributed to this understanding; amongst them Roger Langohr. For more than 50 years he has been an international authority within various fields of soil science research and as such he contributed substantially to the improvement of interdisciplinary research strategies. His holistic approach on understanding the book of nature through field observations of soils has inspired researchers from far beyond the borders of Belgium. Those who had the privilege to follow his lectures or collaborate with him have learned that to understand soils, one has to start in the field by observing the soil characteristics, by drawing them, and by recording their vertical and horizontal variability. Additionally, profiles should ...