Ants & Elaiosomes

Ants & Elaiosomes

Dropping crumbs onto the ant trail became our entertainment during picnics last summer, my granddaughter and I. We were entranced by the suspense of seeing whether the ant would be able to lift the massive (in ant terms) crumb by itself or would it go recruit helpers? How would the ant team deal with getting […]

Wild Ginger

Wild Ginger

“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” Pablo Picasso When I read this quote, it resonated with me regarding my journey in botanical art. Each new project feels like it borders on the impossible because it is yet untried. There is risk involved. […]

The Spring Rush

The Spring Rush

When you love native plants like I do, spring is hard…in a good way! It seems that everything blooms at once, and when you choose one plant to focus on, that means the rest must wait for another year. In order to crowd more plants into my spring agenda, I decided to make some quick […]

Douglas Fir Cone

Douglas Fir Cone

Douglas Fir trees have formed the backdrop of much of my life. Just look at snapshots of the houses I’ve lived in, schools I’ve attended and places I’ve gone hiking and camping, and there you will likely see a Douglas Fir somewhere in the distance. I’ve mostly taken them for granted until recently when I […]

Garry Oak Update

Garry Oak Update

I wrote in August about my delight in finally finding tiny baby acorns nestled in the low branches of a native oak tree that grows near my house. Since then I have often stopped to examine the little nuts with their neat caps as they slowly grew more plump on the branch. Finally in late […]