When I walked through the dry, brown meadow in late summer, it seemed barren. At closer look, I began to see the delicate beauty of the seedpods. Some were obvious to identify, like the monkey flower (Mimulus guttatus) and great camas (Camassia leichtlinii) and others brought questions to explore later. I was delighted to find […]
Garry Oak Meadow–May
June 17, 2020 by · 2 Comments
The meadow has become lush under the clouds and rainy weather of May. Stately great camas, Camassia leichtlinii, has a queenly presence over the smaller wildflowers. I saw a stand of it for the first time when I peeked into an ordinary looking grove of shrubby ash trees, and to my surprise and delight the […]
Garry Oak Meadow–Mid-April (2)
April 28, 2020 by · 3 Comments
The Camassia are peaking a little early this year because of the recent warm weather. The meadow stretches out blue into the distance, with swathes of pink rosy plectritis and dots of yellow buttercups and lomatium. Tiny native bees and big fuzzy bumblebees seem frenzied as they go from blossom to blossom. The meadow has […]
Garry Oak Meadow-Early April
April 20, 2020 by · 2 Comments
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 […]
Garry Oak Meadow–March
April 1, 2020 by · 14 Comments
In a few weeks this ordinary looking field will be covered with wildflowers, Camas lily, farewell to spring, columbine, candy flower, shooting star and more. I plan to record the succession of blooming plants as much as possible in the coming weeks and months. Pretty soon it will be a challenge to keep up! Fortunately, […]
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).