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Northern Scarlet Snake- (Cemophora coccinea copei) Texas Threatened ReptileAccording to iNaturalist Guides, the Northern Scarlet snake (Cemophora coccinea copei) "... prefer soft, sandy or loamy soils for burrowing... and are found from New Jersey, along the Atlantic Coast to Florida, and west to Texas and Oklahoma". ⁠ ⁠ This next

My Golden-cheeked Warbler image was chosen to promote the Travis Audubon Society Birdathon this year! ⁠⁠I love the Rachel Carson quote from her essay "Help Your Child to Wonder" that they included. ☀️⁠⁠"No child should grow up unaware of the dawn chorus of the birds in the spring. He will never forget the experience of a specially planned early ri

POP ART MUSSELS?!?!“Texas Hornshell (Poenaias popeii)"- Endangered Aquatic Invertebrate I am excited to share that I have been invited by ISEA (Informal Science Education Association) to speak about my art and share a fun science-based art activity of my design at their 2021 conference this year. It's an honor for me because I'll be speaking

I'm of the (recently discovered) opinion that everyone should know about freshwater mussels...Sandbank Pocketbook (Lampsilis satura) paletteIf you like to play in clean and clear fresh waters, you can thank nature’s filters- the native freshwater mussels. There are 52 mussel species in Texas and 15 are listed as Threatened in Texas. ⁠⠀⁠⠀Featured h

This artwork & color palette is based on a true power-napper. Texas' Threatened Bird- The Sooty Tern apparently sleeps on the wing...These impressive threatened birds spend the vast majority of their life at sea (apparently up to 10 years!). Since they don't float, and can't rest easily. I have read that they take micro-naps (1 or 2-seconds) w

"Study Nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you." - Frank Lloyd WrightBeautiful colors...As an artist, you would assume that I think a lot about color. It’s true! As a painter, I practice color mixing, blending, subtle changes, stark contrasts. As an Art Educator, I think about color theory and how I can share so

Today I'm sharing a gift with you- a personal art project... one of our holiday traditions... In 2010 I enjoyed my very first holiday with my eventual stepson. As an 8 year old, he led us in creating a collaborative transforming origami star/ wreath.The best part was that this art project came from a brave, young Kai. He took a chance with me and

The first step to protecting Endangered and Threatened species is to learn how fascinating and essential they are.My latest project to sample 6-8 colors from actual images of Texas Threatened Species and to create original art inspired by their limited palette has been a wonderful challenge.  Meet Notophthalmus meridionalis, otherwi

               The incredible, ancient, threatened Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii), averages 70 lbs. but the largest recorded weighed 298 lbs These spiky-shelled (carapace) threatened species are "ambush predators" and take the "slow but steady" approach. They hunt by stationing their

                    Countershading. This was a new word for me. Almost all sharks are grayish with a darker top and lighter underside. This is called countershading. Imagine attempting to find places to hide or be inconspicuous in the open ocean. Countershading is works like camouflage, f