Small, red crabapple buds on tree branch.

Killdeer bird nestled into her nest among the rocks. Well-camouflaged in browns and grays.

Crabapple and killdeer. 🌱

Dwarf lake Iris with purple petals and yellow center. It is only about 3 inches tall.

Prairie smoke has red, flaring, bell-shaped flowers.

Virginia bluebell with trumpet-like flowers in light blue/purple and pink.

Mayapple with green, umbrella-like leaves and bud in center.

Spring is finally kicking in @matthaeinichols - dwarf lake Iris, prairie smoke, Virginia bluebell, mayapple, and crabapple. The killdeer is also still on her nest! 🌱 #springflowers #greatlakes #wildflowers

Magnolia bud opening more fully with a center petal group and two wider petals on either side. It is sketched in graphite.

Another magnolia bud on the same tree had opened up more fully. These definitely beg to be done in color! But I love the shapes and shading in graphite. 🌱🎨🐡 #magnoliablossom #botanicalillustration #botanicalart #graphite

Graphite sketch of a magnolia blossom. It is still closed and is shedding the fuzzy, green cover.

We passed one of my favorite magnolia trees on our walk and the blossoms are just opening up. This one looked like it was wearing a hat. 😂 🌱🎨🐡#magnoliablossom #botanicalart #botanicalillustration #graphite

A single trout lily with mottled leaves and yellow blossom open wide.

The first trout lily has bloomed in the backyard! I love spring ephemerals. 🌱#springephemerals #troutlily #wildflowers

Killdeer bird on nest very well-camouflaged.

Close-up from the side of the killdeer.

Yellow and maroon spirals of succulents in the rock garden.

Maroon and green succulents clustered in the rock garden.

Killdeer and rock garden. Fibonacci featured strongly there! 🌱

Patch of bloodroot in bloom. White flowers and yellow center.

Burr oak tree with lightening strike in lighter color where it peeled the bark off.

Purple hepatica blooms.

Another view of the burr oak.

A beautiful day for a visit to @matthaeinichols We saw some of my favorite wildflowers, got to view the lightening scar on the giant burr oak tree, and even spied a killdeer nest right off of the pathway! The tree should survive and the bird’s mate was nearby patrolling, so all should be well. 🌱

These are more planet-inspired! 😊

🤣

Four, small wire-wrapped pendants in various colors (two antique copper and two silver) using ocean jasper and dogtooth amethyst 12 mm rounds. Three loose stones are shown for future wraps.

Planet pendants are back! This past week’s excitement over the Artemis II mission brought to mind this design from a few years ago, and I am making more! Ocean jasper really lends to a planetary feel. The purple is dogtooth amethyst. Nice connection between Earth and space during Earth month. 🐡🎨🌎

Welcome home Integrity! What a beautiful week with you. 🌖🌎

Page with Earth drawing on top in pencil, then lower left moon eclipse and lower right the dark side of the moon.

Some pencil studies of the moon and earth from Artemis II mission photos. 🌕🎨🌎🐡 #moondrawings #artemisii

Congratulations! I love these! They are gorgeous.

I watched coverage all day yesterday. So incredible!

Thanks!

Circular sketches of monthly full moons. April was cloudy so it should clouds and rain. Second drawing from live NASA feed showing Orion spacecraft behind the moon with crescent Earth.

It was too cloudy to see the April “pink moon”, but I am having a great time following the Artemis II mission! 🌖 I added another drawing - this one is from the live NASA feed showing the view of the Orion craft as it goes behind the moon with a crescent Earth in the distance. 🎨🐡 #artemisii

NASA Live - NASA NASA live: Follow live television broadcasts on NASA+, the agency's streaming service, and NASA's social media channels with this schedule of upcoming live events including news briefings, launches an...

Happy Moonday! Looking forward to following along with the Artemis II fly by around the moon today! 🌖 www.nasa.gov/live/

Thank you!

13 Ukrainian pysanky eggs “written” with wax resist. A variety of traditional and modern designs.

Ukrainian pysanky egg with poppy design.

Ukrainian pysanky egg with cross motif.

Ukrainian pysanky egg with Earth depicted as in the recent Artemis II photo.

Pysanky are finished! I made most of these, but several by the kids. I did an attempt (in front) of that great photo of Earth by Artemis II. My blue didn’t take as well, but it was fun to commemorate! Happy Easter/Spring! 🎨 #pysanky #ukrainianpysanky #easter2026 #spring2026

Fallen tree with trunk eaten through by beavers.

Turkey tail mushrooms on log in shades of green, gray and rust.

Moss in the woods

Egret at edge of pond.

More from this morning…🌱🍄‍🟫

Bright green pods of skunk cabbage and an inside view.

Marsh marigold leaves and buds.

Moss on rock

Tamarack leaves and red cone buds

It was a morning of moss, mushrooms, some early spring ephemerals, evidence of beavers, and one egret! @matthaeinichols and Mary Beth Doyle Park. 🌱 #earlyspringflowers #naturewalk

Small, pink coiled basket tray with white braided coil around the edge. Approx 2” across. Basket is sitting on a rock outside.

Small, pink coiled basket tray with white braided coil around the edge. Approx 2” across. Basket is sitting on a rock outside

Small, pink coiled basket tray with white braided coil around the edge. Approx 2” across. Basket is in my hand.

Side view of basket on rock.

More of a tiny tray than a basket, this one was inspired by the April full moon, also known as the “pink moon.” It was too cloudy to see it here, so I am glad I made my own! 🎨 🌕 #pinkmoon #aprilfullmoon2026 #intuitivebasketry #coiledbasket

Two bloodroot flowers, one blossoming fully, the other is a bud. Leaves are tightly curled around the stem.

Different view of the blooming bloodroot.

Two flowers of bloodroot, just emerging. No bud visible yet.

Daffodils in bloom!

I was just out yesterday to look for early spring ephemerals and nothing. Today, my bloodroot is popping up and starting to bloom! I love how the leaves hug the blossom. 🌱 #bloodroot #springephemerals #daffodils

Thanks!

Wavy, mini coil basketry experiments continue in shades of dark to light blue with sage green.

Wavy, mini coil basketry experiments continue in shades of dark to light blue with sage green. Held upside down to show stretch.

Wavy, mini coil basketry experiments continue in shades of dark to light blue with sage green. Lake rock inside and held by narrow handle.

Side view of basket held up with lake rock inside.

Sculptural coil basketry experiments continue! I was going for a wavy/Great Lakes color and shape here, but that didn’t lend itself to a very sturdy structure. However, putting one of my many lake rocks into it shows off its stretchy waves! 🎨 #coilbasketry #sculpturalbasketry #greatlakes

For sure.

Very cool!!

Give different pysanky designs “written” on chicken eggs. Trypillian design as well as a stylized bear paw, and also star designs.

On a roll this year with pysanky! I have not yet taken off the wax, but have a nice bunch so far. 🎨 #ukrainianeggs #pysanky #waxresist

Happy Equinox! Spring is on the way! Especially with 73 degree temps in Michigan today…

3” square of white paper with hexagonal brown watercolor background with black pen on top in topographic, petal and stamen shapes.

Tilted view to show the golden shimmer of the mica paint layer.

Final one for this evening was done on a favorite background of my homemade black walnut ink with a layer of wet grizzly and poplar yellow paint from @beampaints I just love the shimmer from the mica in wet grizzly! Definitely thought of flower centers and earthy petal shapes. 🎨 #intuitivedoodle