In Early April, just a haze of color was visible over the meadow. Walking through it was like stepping on a sponge, soft and very wet after the recent rains. Even the rocks were soft, covered with a plush carpet of moss.
I am chronicling the tremendous variety of botanical riches in this rare and endangered ecosystem near the lower Columbia River in Oregon. Once the Willamette Valley and many places along the Columbia River Corridor were characterized by oak savanna. The dappled shade cast by the oaks creates the perfect environment for a wide variety of prairie and woodland plants…a carpet of wildflowers in spring. Most of these oak meadows have been lost to development. This is one of the few left and we are not sure how long it will remain. For more information go here.
With our recent warm weather the wildflowers on the Camassia Bluff have gone from bud to bloom in quick succession. I’ll update you in another post soon.
This blog is about my journey as a botanical artist--what I am learning, what inspires me and what I am currently drawing or painting. My desire is to continually hone my skills to better express my wonder and gratitude for the beauty of the creation around me in the Pacific Northwest (USA).
I love the idea of your hybrid sketches. I will try that as I spend far too long on one thing when I’m out and miss recording as much as I could.
It’s working really well for me to get the habit and general size and shape while in the field and fill in fine detail later, otherwise I get too tired and miss some of the plants that I wanted to record. Hope it works for you too!