Let's Paint Nature!
Hiking & Painting in Nature – Chicago
Tag: art
Swallows and Striders on the Fox River Watercolor Sketch
As the river flows A flight of tree swallows swirl. Zooming up, down, sideways fast. But the water striders below, On water they twirl. Zooming front and back, side to side fast. Yesterday I had the chance to ride my bike along the Fox… Continue Reading “Swallows and Striders on the Fox River Watercolor Sketch”
Let’s Paint a Simple Summer Sketch
Let’s learn how to make a simple summer sketch for your nature journal! Yesterday I was able to get out to my favorite secret pond where I noticed tons of cup plants (Silphium perfoliatum) growing along the edge of the water. Cut plant is… Continue Reading “Let’s Paint a Simple Summer Sketch”
It was there and then it was gone – Monarch Caterpillar Watercolor
It was there… I was looking at the reward for planting common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) in my backyard. Several times the hubby almost pulled it because he thought it was a weed (well it is), I pleaded for him to leave it and to… Continue Reading “It was there and then it was gone – Monarch Caterpillar Watercolor”
My Native Front Yard – Blue Vervain Watercolor
Today blue vervain (Verbena hastata) is in bloom in the native garden. I absolutely love its flowers. Up close they look blue-purple. From a distance they look purple to pinkish-purple. The actual flower itself is tiny but grows in clusters on a spike. They… Continue Reading “My Native Front Yard – Blue Vervain Watercolor”
My Native Front Yard Wildlife Edition – Black Swallowtail Caterpillar
The native plants are working! Look who I found munching on some leaves…. a big juicy black swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes). That means a black swallowtail butterfly must have laid an egg under the leaf of my Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) plant when I… Continue Reading “My Native Front Yard Wildlife Edition – Black Swallowtail Caterpillar”
It’s a Boy! Update on Polyphemus Cocoon
Do you remember last year when a Polyphemus caterpillar visited my house? (Click on the link to see post with video of caterpillar eating maple leaves.) I was completely shocked as I just happened to find it on my siding. Suddenly, in a matter… Continue Reading “It’s a Boy! Update on Polyphemus Cocoon”
My Native Front Yard – Wild Geranium
Last year I converted my front yard into a native habitat. Goodbye grass, hello native plants! Why? To save the insects. First, lawn grass does not benefit much in nature. If there is little rain, you must supplement with water from your hose. Water… Continue Reading “My Native Front Yard – Wild Geranium”
Cup Fungi Watercolor
What a mouth-opening surprise I had when I found these cute cup fungi growing in my own yard! What’s so neat about these fungi? Why, let me explain their coolness. First, they look like tiny cups on the ground. Awwwwwww. Second, they want it… Continue Reading “Cup Fungi Watercolor”
Chorus Frogs Sing – Watercolor
That song.The chant of chorus frogs that stops you in your tracks as you hike in the woods. Such a bold sound coming from such a tiny frog…so small your eyes can’t find them even if you try and I did try. When you… Continue Reading “Chorus Frogs Sing – Watercolor”
Daily Verse
- 1 Corinthians 2:14“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”
Prints and Cards For Sale
Supplies I Use
Great Books
