Prairie Notes #207 - ART & ARTISTS / INSPIRATION & CREATION
Prairie Notes are monthly photo/journal observations from Tandy Hills Natural Area by Founder/Director, Don Young. They include field reports, flora and fauna sightings, and more, mixed with a scoop of dry humor and a bit of philosophy.
They are available free to all who get on the FOTHNA email list.
Art & Artists / Inspiration & Creation
Prairie Notes #207
March 1, 2024
1) Art & Artists / Inspiration & Creation
2) Prairie Artist of the Month - Karen A. Johnson
3) Field Report - February
4) New Species Report - February (Big News!)
5) Trout Lily Walk w/Suzanne Tuttle
6) Moonwalking w/ Amy Martin (Take 4)
7) PrairieSky / StarParty Report
8) Bird Migration Alert
8) Prairie Proverb - Georgia O’Keefe
1) Art & Artists / Inspiration & Creation
Tandy Hills has long been a place of inspiration for writers, artists, poets, storytellers, photographers, architects, even musicians. The wide expanses of wildflowers, hills and valleys, the seasonal changes, the big sky above with its buzzing insects and soaring birds, can’t help but attract attention and inspire the creation of works of art.
Art and artists, in particular, have always been integral to Friends of Tandy Hills activities. It is part of our ongoing efforts to connect more people to the natural world and Tandy Hills. During the ten year run of Prairie Fest, we invited dozens of plein air artists to paint the prairie, on-site, and sell their works on the spot. We employed several gifted artists to design Prairie Fest posters. In 2015, we held the, Sketch the Prairie, event for interested artists. Our Kids On the Prairie program included a popular, art and writing component. We have collaborated with the Carter Museum of American Art on the Mark Dion exhibition in 2020 and the Fort Worth Public Library on a Nature Journaling class in 2022. We have also utilized art in most of our promotion and fund-raising campaigns, often with a slice of humor. Recently, we were honored when internationally-known artist, James Prosek whose exhibition at The Carter, visited and sketched at Tandy Hills.
I asked Mr. Prosek and a few other artists whom I know to be inspired by Tandy Hills to send me examples of their work so I may share them with you. Starting with this 207th issue of Prairie Notes, I will highlight a different artist each month. The high quality of these artists work and their sensitivity to and appreciation of Tandy Hills utterly amazed me, as I hope they will you.
As the poet, John Keats, wrote rather, enigmatically, in 1819,
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,— that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
DY
2) Prairie Artist of the Month: Karen A. Johnson
I’m a sucker for any artworks involving prairie plants, something I’ve studied in situ for a long time. I first encountered the work of Karen A. Johnson on Facebook just a few months ago. Her posted, “work-in-progress” painting of White Rosinweed (Silphium albiflorum), caught my eye. The same can be said of her field journal, watercolor illustrations. They employ very accurate line and color work that goes beyond mere documentation of a species.
Karen A. Johnson, a resident of Keller, TX, is a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) and has done the majority of her color work in watercolor and gouache. Her realistic depictions of flowers and insects are done on a variety of backgrounds ranging from plain to abstract. She enjoys sketching with friends and exploring new media and subjects to draw. The prairie has been the subject of her artwork over the last few years as she strives to document what she discovers there in her nature journal. The flowers and insects which live in this rare habitat have been fascinating to learn about and are an endless source of inspiration. To see more of her work go online at https://www.karensnatureart.com.
3) Field Report - February
As we await the Vernal Equinox on March 19, the slow turning wheel of the seasons speeded up a bit in February 2024. Crazy weather and an early spring are here. It was below freezing for a few days earlier in the month, then the temp hit a record-breaking, 95 degrees on February 26th. The prairie still looks quite winter-ish but, there are plenty of signs that Mother Nature has started her engines. Most of the “harbingers” have bloomed. Plum and Redbud trees, Ground Plum, Anemone’s, Bigfoot Springparsley and, of course, Trout Lilies aka: Fawn Lilies. A Cottontail Rabbit was sighted. The spring explosion of color and texture is right around the bend.
In other news: There was a well-attended, Ladies Only, Full Moon Hike with Amy Martin on February 23rd. Our restoration work continued, in earnest, through the mild winter. Dead and dying trees were removed along with another ton of Privet and a lot of trash left behind by campers and photographers. Your generous donations are vital to our efforts.
Click each photo for best viewing.
February 26, 2024
4) New Species Report - February (Big News!)
BIG-BIG News: We finally crossed the magical, 2000 species threshold in late February. This is an important milestone but the count will continue to rise over the years. Celebration time!
The species count was, 1989 in January and jumped to 2001 in February. Sam Kieschnick was out of the country, but we still had quite a few folks wandering the natural area, searching for signs of spring. Here are a few of the species they found in February. You can check out the Tandy Hills iNat Project Page HERE.
5) Trout Lily Walk w/ Suzanne Tuttle
For the past 12 years, Sam Kieschnick has led the Trout Lily Walk. Before him, the well-liked naturalist and TL expert, Jim Varnum, helped inaugurate the event in 2008. With Sam K. out of the country right now, we are lucky that, Suzanne Tuttle, no stranger to Trout Lilies herself, will take the lead.
We originally planned a mid-March event, but had to switch gears due to the sudden blooming of the little harbingers of spring. They started blooming about mid-February which is just a bit earlier than usual. The event will be held on, Saturday, March 2nd at 1 PM. Check this web-link for further info and updates: https://www.tandyhills.org/trout-lily-walk-with-sam-kieschnick
If you are new to the magical world of Trout Liles, aka: Fawn Lilies, here’s a little synopsis by the late, Jim Varnum:
Why so special? Trout lilies grow from a bulbs located about 3-4 inches below ground level. In the fist 6 years of its life it puts up single leaf. In the 7th year it puts up 2 leaves and stalk (scape). A single flower grows from the stalk. Eventually the plant produces a seed which is deposited on the ground to form a new plant. This means only about one-seventh of the TLs in a large area will have flowers at one time.
6) Moonwalking w/ Amy martin (Take 4)
Moon-talking, Moon-watching, Moon-dancing and Moon-singing, too, with a capital “M”.
This event was first scheduled in November 2023, but the weather did not cooperate. Ditto, December and January. So . . . we are going to give it one last try on Saturday, March 16th, 7:30 PM. Here are the details for all you moon mystics.:
Amy Martin, the author of Wild DFW, is also known as the Moonlady. She just can’t get enough of Tandy Hills, so . . . On Saturday, March 16th, starting at 7:30 PM, she will talk about the culture and science of the Moon, and read her popular essay Moonstruck. Then she and Don Young will lead participants in a moonlight hike. Moon song singing, Moon shadow dancing, and howling at the Moon guaranteed. Before, during, and after the walk, Chris Emory will offer viewing of the Moon through his Moon telescope and talk about how he as a photographer captures the night sky.
Check out the Facebook Event Page, HERE.
7) Prairie Sky / Star Party report
After a winter break, the Fort Worth Astronomical Society (FWAS) will be back on March 16th, 2024, for the 9th straight year at Tandy Hills. See the sky-watching commentary from FWAS rep, John McCrea, below. View the full 2024 PrairieSky / StarParty schedule HERE.
“For our March star party, we will still have the familiar winter constellations. Some of the most familiar are Orion (The Hunter) with Canis Major (The Big Dog) to the east with its brightest star Sirius. Above and to the left are Castor and Pollux of the constellation Gemini (The Twins). To the west of Orion is the bright red star Aldebaran of the constellation Taurus (The Bull) and the Pleiades (The Seven Sisters) just a little further west. North and west is the lopsided pentagon shaped constellation Auriga (The Charioteer) with its brightest star Capella (little goat).
The sun will set about 7:40 PM on the 16th of March. The moon will be an 8+ day old waxing gibbous in the Constellation Gemini.
The winter hexagon will be in the south/southwest, and is an imaginary line between Sirus, Rigel, Aldebaran, Capella, Pollux, and Procyon. The planet Jupiter will be brightly shining in the west between the constellations Aries (The Ram) and Cetus (The Whale). Uranus will be a little behind Jupiter in Aries. The bright star hovering around the southern horizon is the star Canopus of the southern hemisphere constellation Carina (The Keel). If you were in Sydney, Australia, you would find Canopus 71o above the horizon.”
8) Bird Migration Alert
It’s that time of year. Turn off unnecessary lights to help keep migrating birds safe. You may have recently heard about the famous Eurasian eagle-owl named Flaco who escaped from the Central Park Zoo in New York. He lived in Central Park for about a year until he crashed into a building and perished. Birds need our help and the good folks at Texas Conservation Alliance are doing a great job of educating the public about the dangers of lights to millions of migratory birds. Here is a recent message from them:
#SpringMigration is just around the corner! Starting March 1, our state will soon be abuzz with the sights and sounds of millions of migratory birds traveling through Texas.
Calling on all Texans to go #LightsOutForWildlife! You can create safer passage for birds across the Texas night sky with a simple flip of a switch. Certify your home (link in bio) and spread the word!
The #LightsOutDFW team is preparing for their 8th season in Downtown Dallas and 3rd season in Downtown Fort Worth monitoring for bird-building collision victims. We look forward to rejoining forces with our survey partners and volunteers beginning March 11 through June 1.
Coming up: Join us for the Lights Out Texas Movie Night and Art Exhibit event at the Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center on Saturday March 2 RSVP soon before seats run out!
You can become a volunteer surveyor, find our seasonal events, and learn more on our website via link in bio.
#LightsOutTexas #TXCAT #Volunteers #Birds #Migration #TakeAction #ProtectWildlife
9) Prairie Proverb
“It was in the 1920s, when nobody had time to reflect, that I saw a still-life painting with a flower that was perfectly exquisite, but so small you really could not appreciate it. I decided that if I could paint that flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty.”
Photo credit: 1960 ©Tony Vaccaro/Tony Vaccaro Studio
Become a member here: https://www.tandyhills.org/donate
Prairie Notes© is the official newsletter of Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. All content by Don Young except where otherwise noted.
