Nature Journal page and a couple of colored pencil drawings

Here is another catch up Nature Journal page, this one from May 18, 2013, again a visit to Daniel Webster in Marshfield, MA. Again the tree stump in the panne, photographing and drawing this stump is how I chart water levels from week to week. It was down this week from my previous visit.

The accompanying drawing is of a nest box with a pair of tree swallows as residence. I would guess that they had young in the nest the way the one parent perched outside the hole. These boxes can be used by various birds, in the fields, Bluebirds or Bob-o-links are the usual occupants. By the panne, which is were this box was, it is usually either tree swallows or sparrows. I have noticed both using them over the years I have been visiting. .

Not entirely sure where the above came from. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately, starting out with either a doddle or a vague idea that then turns into some kind of colored pencil drawing. I use colored pencils for these because they are drawn in my sketchbook and the paper is not sturdy enough for me to add watercolor, and pastel would be too messy. Not to mention that most of these are fairly small and I wouldn't be able to get the details I want with pastel.

This is sort of a crest, but for whom or what or where is something only my unconscious knows. It was fun to do as I deliberately used lots of color for this design.

Working on this has inspired me to think about doing another Mandela. I haven't drawn one of those for a couple of years but sort of feel I have another one in me.

Another doodle that turned into a drawing, a bee (sort of) with various flowers. A very stylized bee, not really like any I see in real life. And I have been seeing bees, mostly bumble bees, but someone near the Library (in the center of Brockton) must have a hive since I noticed a lot of honey bees at one of the red bud trees the other day.

Above is a photograph of a pink dogwood tree against a very blue sky. The pink petals are almost past their prime but still pretty. The tree is a neighbors and I have no clue how old it is, but it has been there for over 20 years and is probably at least twice that in age as it is a fairly large tree for a dogwood.

That is it for today, I have a couple longer term projects in the works which I need to buckle down at and get finished. In the meantime comments are always welcome, even if I don't always respond.