Tag Archives: all-weather

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”

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”

BBY011 :: Melospiza lincolnii

Lincoln’s Sparrow. When I saw this bird along the trail ahead of me, I excitedly snapped a couple blurry shots before getting one clear-ish one. This is the first animal in my series, a step forward in showcasing the diversity of this park! The one clear picture I took lacked a lot of detail inContinue reading “BBY011 :: Melospiza lincolnii”

BBY010 :: Sorghum halepense (?)

This is grass; I know that much! It is possibly johnsongrass, which I learned this week is an invasive introduced species that is not officially listed as present here in BC. However, if johnsongrass has popped across the US border, I wouldn’t be surprised. The plants I observed grow mainly in the marshy areas toContinue reading “BBY010 :: Sorghum halepense (?)”

BBY009 :: Lythrum salicaria

Purple loosestrife. This distinctive flower popped up in a few places along the Burnaby Lake trail. It was easy to identify; although similar to the native fireweed, purple loosestrife’s petals are more pointy. L. salicaria was introduced to North America and has taken over from East to West. More interesting information can be read here.Continue reading “BBY009 :: Lythrum salicaria”

BBY008 :: Fagus grandifolia or sylvatica

American or European beech. I need to see the flowers and the fruit to know for sure which species this is. Being a relatively small tree, it might be too young to show fruit. It may not be a beech since there are no native beeches on the West coast. Another species whose leaves theseContinue reading “BBY008 :: Fagus grandifolia or sylvatica”

BBY007 :: Lonicera involucrata

I have recently identified this species since drawing it. This is twinberry honeysuckle. Unfortunately only one berry is visible here! Specimen recorded July 24, 2020, 18:14 across the trail from the willow tree (006). Art by Nelson Spies, November 25, 2020. Pencil crayon on medium texture coloured pencil paper.

BBY006 :: Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra

Pacific willow, shining willow, whiplash willow. My first attempt at guessing the species of this tree was black willow. Native to eastern North America, I thought it was unlikely to be that exact species, although I know a lot a migration of introduced species has happened. Looking at “Native Trees of Canada,” a 1956 handbookContinue reading “BBY006 :: Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra”

BBY005 :: Athyrium filix-femina

Lady fern. Ferns are so beautiful and complex, but the simplicity of my art reflects my knowledge of these plants. I had no idea where to start in identifying this one. I still don’t understand exactly what “pinnatifid” means but it’s a start! The leaf structure is bipinnate-pinnatifid if anyone was wondering. Another clue wasContinue reading “BBY005 :: Athyrium filix-femina”