Miss Kim Lilac & Tiger Swallowtail

Though the Tiger Swallowtail butterflies emerge from their winter cocoons about the time the lilacs are blooming, this particular lilac blooms a bit later after other lilacs have stopped blooming.

But there are still enough of these lovely creatures flitting around to frequent this lilac which has a strong spicy sweet scent.

The Miss Kim lilac grows slowly and never becomes as large a shrub as other lilacs so its a good one to fill a small space. The mail carrier tells me that she can smell the lilacs from the road 200 feet away when she delivers mail to my rural mailbox. Pretty powerful for one small shrub!

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Cardinal in a Dogwood Tree

I saw this cardinal and snapped a photo of it the other day sitting on a snow-covered branch. I've had about enough of snow by now and am waiting anxiously for spring when all the little green shoots appear from the ground.

My dogwood tree is full of buds just waiting for the weather to warm up so they can burst into bloom. I decided to paint the cardinal perched on one of its blossoming branches. It makes a beautiful scene, I think!

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Little Blue Heron

Like its name, this heron is smaller than the Great Blue Heron. It's a medium size about 2 ft. tall. It nests in colonies in swamps or marshes and is usually found along saltwater or freshwater coastlines.

The Little Blue Heron is unusual as it starts life as a pure white heron, changing to its blue plumage as it matures. While changing, it is mottled with some parts still white as you see on this young heron's neck and belly.

Many of these herons have an all dark blue neck and back. An alternate form, like this one, has a chestnut color on the neck along with shaggy neck plumes.

• This painting has been sold.

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Poppies

Poppies are a lovely sight swaying in the breeze. Red or orange are common colors although they also bloom in peach, white, yellow and pale pink depending on the variety. Some bloom in early summer and others will bloom almost all summer. They are a bright addition to the garden.

I painted these with the sun shining through their petals against the blue sky.

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Great Blue Heron

Here is a portrait of a Great Blue Heron, the largest and most widespread of our herons in North America.

You will find the Great Blue hunting for fish along the coastline as well as ponds far inland throughout the continent. Many herons suffered a loss in their numbers due to hunting for their plumage, but the Great Blue's feathers were not as in demand, evidently, which can partly account for their larger numbers.

Although Great Blues eat primarily fish and aquatic life, they do eat other small animals. Once at twilight, I saw one of these large herons fly directly above my head as I stood on my front porch. I was surprised to see a mouse grasped in its claws. It flew to the top of a tree in the neighboring field where, I assume enjoyed it's evening repast.

• This painting has been sold.
  

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Hanauma Bay Watercolor Painting

This is a delightful sight for those of us still looking out the window at snow!

My oldest son recently traveled to Hawaii and when I saw his pictures of this bay, I knew I'd have to paint it.

Hanauma Bay has been a conservation area since 1967. The bay is formed from an ancient volcano that collapsed, and is home to a large coral reef and a rich diversity of marine life making it one of the best protected areas for snorkling or scuba diving.

Here, I've painted the cove at a quiet time, a perfect time to contemplate the beauty of this scene, imagine the sound of palm leaves rustling in the breeze, and the quiet lapping of the waves against the shore.

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Birds in a Summer Garden

With the temps in the single digits here lately, I thought this scene might warm up the chill.

This is a painting of a part of my garden. A Cardinal and White-Throated Sparrow are enjoying the birdbath on a warm day in early August.

The little yellow flowers are Coreopsis (or Tickseed), a perennial plant that has surprised me by not only growing larger each season, but by blooming for most of the summer and into the fall. It's by far the longest blooming perennial in my garden!

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