Dragonflies this year

There always were dragonflies around here - but this year it feels like they are everywhere! Dragonflies bump into me when I bike, they zoom by and pass when I run only to make a sharp turn and head the other way, they accompany me on my walks. But they are always too fast for me to even think about drawing them! 

Today I found a dead one and in perfect condition. I was voted out on taking it home with me to draw so I crouched on the sidewalk and spent a nice thirty minutes looking at this beauty. 

I learned something about the tulip trees...

I love tulip trees (Liriodendron) - the shape of the leaves most of all probably. Large cup-like flowers with intricate shapes and crazy pattern, a lovely set of colors. The almost cone-like seedpods. Pointy remains of seed pods that make a naked tree look even more interesting than just a naked tree. The shape of the overall tree - it's awkwardness without leaves and might with them. How much shade it gives. The fact that they are related to magnolias.

But one thing always bothered me - the sticky sap on some of them. But not on others. I never could figure out the pattern, then remembered to search online and...

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Morning sketchbooking - I learned something about the tulip trees today... #tuliptree #tuliptreeflower #sketchbooking #sketchbook #liquidwatercolor #visualjournaling #visualjournal #nature #naturesketch #naturesketching #drawtolearn

A post shared by Nina Khashchina (@ninaapplepine) on May 22, 2019 at 10:32am PDT

"Tulip tree aphids (Illinoia liriodendri) commonly feed on the underside of the tree's leaves early in the growing season. Aphids feed on tree sap and cause pale, yellow spots on leaves and may also make leaves curl or pucker and distort blooms. The insects ingest more sap than they need and secrete the excess as honeydew, which leads to sooty mold."

Sketchbook #113: Hummingbird Nest Story

One wonderfully sunny morning I saw a hummingbird dive into a tree just outside my kitchen window. And then again. And again. There were quite a few old leaves still on the tree and quite a few new ones - but with a bit of searching and binoculars I soon realized that there is a new nest in progress!


I was very excited and kept my observations (from a quiet spot), took notes on how often the bird would grab a piece of spiderweb from my succulents or how she would stop by the fuchsia flower for a snack. And I tried to sketch - though it was pretty hard - with the amount of camouflage and a need for binoculars to see even a little bit. You can see most of my sketches below.


Unfortunately at some point the nest was abandoned. There was a big rain and who knows what else might have contributed but the project was scrapped without investing into eggs.

I know that the bird is well as she keeps coming to take parts of this nest and flies away with them :)