Merlins. This pair of small birds of prey sat in a dead tree where I saw them. The tree has since fallen. At first I wondered if these birds were juvenile Peregrine falcons. I’m not sure if there’s a chance that two juveniles would be hanging out together – maybe a birder could weigh inContinue reading “BBY021 :: Falco columbarius”
Author Archives: Nelson Spies
BBY020 :: Impatiens glandulifera
Known by many names: policeman’s helmet, bobby tops, copper tops, gnome’s hatstand, Himalayan or Indian balsam, poor man’s orchid. Impatiens glandulifera is a very voracious invasive plant, taking over areas in fields and wetlands. There are programs around Burnaby Lake Park and in Metro Vancouver which enlist volunteers to help eliminate some of these plants.Continue reading “BBY020 :: Impatiens glandulifera”
BBY019 :: Rubus laciniatus
Cutleaf or evergreen blackberry. I started this drawing in June and finished it in September. During that time the berries had ripened and fallen or been eaten. I chose to cover this variety of blackberry before the more prominent Himalayan blackberry (R. armeniacus) just because it’s more interesting and unique, and fun to draw theContinue reading “BBY019 :: Rubus laciniatus”
BBY018 :: Ilex aquifolium
English holly. I was inspired by a recent botanical illustration tutorial from the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver (ISCMV) to draw something quickly and simply. I still don’t have watercolours, but I tried to use watercolour pencils for the pigment here. Holly is an introduced species from Europe. The spiky leaves may be mistakenContinue reading “BBY018 :: Ilex aquifolium”
BBY017 :: Lysimachia terrestris
Swamp candles. This was just a fun art piece on an inspired evening. I tried to complete it all in one night, but had to finish some details the next day. Although I haven’t done any art since then, it was nice to pump out a piece all at once. I feel that the sceneContinue reading “BBY017 :: Lysimachia terrestris”
BBY016 :: Nymphaea alba
White waterlily. Moving into the water now, here is a common plant that frogs love to sit on. White or European waterlilies are invasive in North America, being found originally in Africa, Europe and Asia. The large lilypads can be seen from space, framing in the very rectangular dredged shape of Burnaby Lake in satelliteContinue reading “BBY016 :: Nymphaea alba”
BBY015 :: Humulus lupulus
Hops. This entry was bound to be a big botany learning experience for me. As with most of the entries I’m currently working on, this one was hastily observed and forgotten until later. Looking at the pictures, I thought it must be a grape vine. I could see tiny flowers which I assumed would turnContinue reading “BBY015 :: Humulus lupulus”
BBY014 :: tree
I hope this painting refracts the lights I saw sparkling off these glossy leaves! For now, I have to draw what I don’t know, but soon I will find out what all of these species are. For technical accuracy, this project would have included a full year of botanical research supported by observing through allContinue reading “BBY014 :: tree”
BBY013 :: tree
This is an unknown tree with bright green leaves and light bark. It might be an aspen or a relative; I was unable to find an exact match from several sources I looked in. I still have a great chance of learning many of these unknown species, since I now know where the specimens areContinue reading “BBY013 :: tree”
BBY012 :: Malus fusca
Pacific crabapple. Check out these little pomes! I wish I had captured these a bit later in the season with ripe fruit to add some extra colour. This is my first digital art piece in this project. Although I was able to more or less trace my reference photo, I added some of my ownContinue reading “BBY012 :: Malus fusca”
Park Canvass 