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”
Tag Archives: green
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”
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”
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 (?)”
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.
Park Canvass 