Such promise in a broken rock… I see paints everywhere now. Makes it hard to walk down the driveway. As if that wasn’t already hard enough before I learned about making earth pigments! The path in my office/studio AND the …
Category: Nature
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The Color of a Plant Does Not Equal the Color of a Paint
I’ve been experimenting with local plants to get a nice, stable, green color for my handmade watercolor paints. Most of the things I’ve tried in my quest for green has resulted in gray or brown. Lamb’s Quarters, a common edible …
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The Dusty Sand of Doha
My plan all along was to gather a bit of the sand of Doha before I left for the sand-stony ground of home. As it turned out, it was harder to find than I expected. Everywhere I went was nothing …
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Nearly Dry
We’ve had some rain lately, but not enough. The creek that runs through our land is nearly dry now. Thankfully, there are still a few constantly refilling pools here and there, or else I’d have to carry water to the …
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Nature Art Recap for the Month of June
The past weeks were very creative ones for me with nature art. I tried something new and have found a new passion that’s bound to grow with a little time – milling pigments! Next step in that exploration is making …
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Organizing, Day 2. One of the More Odd Boxes in My Nature Art Studio
I’ve been organizing my studio and categorizing my nature art supplies so they’re easier to find when I need them.
It’s a normal habit of mine to collect things during my morning walks. Lichens, mosses, interesting rocks, chunks of sandstone …
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Oh no! The Virginia Snakeroot babies are all gone!
I went out to check on the Virginia snakeroot nursery the other day and was mortified to find nothing. Not. One. Plant.
Virginia Snakeroot … What’s That?
Now, you might be wondering just what’s so important about a plant that …
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Morning Birdsong Sounds at Wild Ozark
I’m working on a How-To post for making a Fairy Garden pool because I’ve made a cool little kit for folks who want to make it for themselves, but in the meantime here’s some lovely dawn-time birdsong sounds for you …
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Fairy Garden Accessories from Wild Ozark
Introducing my new line of Fairy Garden Accessories – all handmade and one-of-a-kind artwork to complement your fairy garden terrariums!
Market Mainstays
Fairy Gardens have been a mainstay for the Wild Ozark market booth this season. Now I’m starting to …
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A Week at Wild Ozark … No, I’m Not Lost
I’m just mired neck deep in a To-Do list of my own making, trying to get organized and into some sort of a groove now that market season has begun. Since I haven’t written in a while, I figured I’d …
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Orioles at Orange Slices, Bird in the Chimney
Not the sports team, but the oriole birds have been daily visitors for about a week now. Orioles are a species that had been on my sighting wish list since we moved to the Ozarks. They migrate through our area …
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Learning the Difference: Ginseng or Buckeye?
Is it ginseng? No, it’s buckeye.
There are a few plants that grow here in the Ozarks that make it really difficult for newbies to identify ginseng. That’s because these look so much like ginseng to the inexperienced eye. These …
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Enjoy Nature: Phlox and Fiddleheads
Here’s a little inspiration to get outside on this beautiful sunny day and enjoy nature.
Phlox is blooming and casting joyful purple splashes all around the Wild Ozark hills and woods, and the fiddleheads are unfurling.…
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What’s Not to Love?
I titled this photo “What’s Not to Love?” because I love (almost) everything about living back here in the middle of nowhere.
Heading home is always a pleasure. Once I turn off the pavement, the half hour it takes to …
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Lousewort, Bumblebee Food and Medicinal Herb
Lousewort (Pedicularis canadensis) is an interesting plant. It’s a medicinal herb said to be effective at muscular pain relief. The bumblebees love it!
Rosy colored variety of Pedicularis, with a bumble bee visiting. 
A pale yellow-colored lousewort. …
Some lousewort, showing -
Fairy Swing Mushrooms – A New Nature Art from Wild Ozark
Update as of 112118- I’m not making these very often anymore but there are still some in stock at Kingston Square Arts in Kingston, AR.
These adorable little fairy swing mushrooms are the latest creations from the Wild Ozark studio!…
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Finding the Horses on a Drizzly Easter Sunday Morning
On Sundays I generally sleep late. The alarm goes off every other day at 0500, but on Sundays I have no alarm at all and my body takes full advantage of that fact. I do not ordinarily wake up planning …
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2018 Spring Awakening Watch – First Native Flowers of the Ozarks
It’s mid-March 2018 and I’m watching for the first native flowers of the Ozarks to start blooming. I particularly love the ephemeral blooms of early spring, like the bloodroot and Dutchmen’s breeches. Scroll down to see pictures and keep up …
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Vernal Witch Hazel Flowers and Hazelnut too!
Today I went out to take cuttings from the Ozark Witch Hazel in the hopes of rooting them. I wasn’t looking for an American Hazelnut, but that’s what I found! I found the Witch Hazels, too. But I already knew …
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Day 14: Nature Journal Series – Sunlight on Distant Hills
Sunlight on distant hills always makes for a pretty picture. It’s just hard to capture, whether by camera or pencil. This time I tried with my Prismacolor pencils.
About this journal entry
Some autumn seasons bring vivid colors, while others …
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Virginia Creeper Seedling in my Ebony Spleenwort Fern
There’s a Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) seedling creeping up toward the light in my spleenwort fern (Asplenium platyneuron) container. I watched it for a few days with a suspicious eye as it unfurled, because I thought it might be a poison …
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Day 13: Nature Journal Series
Signs of Life
About this journal entry
The signs of life during the coldest parts of winter always intrigue me. I love seeing the green grass shoots found under a layer of snow or peeking out from the shelter of …
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Day 12 – Outline of an Ambitious Drawing
About this journal entry
I started drawing (again) when my husband bought me a set of Prismacolor pencils for my birthday in 2015. Before that it had been decades since I last picked up an art utensil of any …
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Relics of Seasons Past & Sepia-toned Beauty
I went in search of harbingers of spring but found only sepia colored relics of seasons past.
Relics
Not sure what the flower is, but it makes a pretty relic. …
This is one of my favorites – a dried wild
