Nature

Rose Hips

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A sure sign that summer is fading into fall. Rose Hips, are the fruit of the rose plant, that typically is red-to-orange, but ranges from dark purple to black in some species. Rose hips begin to form after successful pollination of flowers in spring or early summer, and ripen in late summer through autumn. These are from Sea Roses in Chatham, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Rose hips are used for herbal teas, jams, syrup, beverages and some herbal medicines. They can also be eaten raw, like a berry, if care is used to avoid the hairs inside the fruit. Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Beta sketchbook.

2016-09-02 Rose Hips

Cattails

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Cattails are wetland plants with a unique flowering spike, flat blade like leaves that reach heights from 3 to 10 feet.  They are one of the most common plants in large marshes and on the edge of ponds. Under the right conditions, cattails can grow and spread vigorously.  The pollinated flowers develop into fluffy seed heads, blowing across a pond in autumn breezes.  Just as commonly, cattails spread through their root system. In fact, cattails at the edge of pond can grow faster than fertilized corn in a field!  Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Sketchbook.

2016-08-22 Cat Tails

Seaweed

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A beautiful day on the beach at Little Harbor in Wareham, Massachusetts. Some interesting seaweed that comes in a multitude of greens from lime green to very dark green. The seaweed attaches itself to small shells for a little weight and then gets pushed along the bottom or suspended in the water by the tides and waves. Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.

2016-08-07 Seaweed

Phlox

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Phlox is Greek for the work “flame” and is a genus of 67 species of perennial or annual flowering plants in the family. They are found mostly in North America in diverse habitats from alpine tundra to open woodland and prairie. Some flower in spring, others in summer and fall. Flowers may be pale blue, violet, pink, bright red, or white. We have both the ground cover variety that bloom in early Spring and the tall vertical type that is blooming now as shown in the sketch. Direct to paper without lines with Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.

2016-08-01 Flox