Great Blue Herons are less common in my area now, perhaps because of our nesting bald eagle pair:  we know now that bald eagles will prey on heron nests in some areas.  This is a young heron, grey on the crown instead of the elegant white of an adult, stalking worms in the receding floodwaters of January, 2009. 

Herons make a good practice subject for wildlife artists- relatively slow moving, they can be used for field sketches and photographed easily.  People cherish herons for their beauty and for their connection to the shoreline environments we find so inspiring.  

It’s festival time!

Sunflowers bloom for a long period around the time of late summer/early fall festivals. I drew these flowers at art festivals in August and October.

Besides having an attractively breezy, slightly drunken attitude, sunflowers are great for wildlife. I don’t cut mine for vases, but let them go to seed for birds. Chickadees and jays especially will do acrobatics to get at the seeds, quickly leaving bare heads.

Sunflowers now come in an array of colors for the garden, from traditional yellow to painted orange and all the way to deep red.