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Tag Archives: ecology

The pitcher of doom (if you’re an insect)

13 Monday May 2013

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Alabama, botanical art, colored pencil, ecology, sustainability, Val Webb

Blog pitcher plantMeet Sarracenia leucophylla, the white pitcher plant. I drew this specimen following a day at Splinter Hill Bog, 628 acres of whispering longleaf pine forest and bog at the headwaters of the Perdido River in south Alabama. I felt fortunate to have a real, live pitcher plant to work from — when the first botanical illustration of a Sarracenia was made in 1576 by the court botanist to James I of England, all he had for reference was a dried-up remnant of a pitcher plant collected by Spanish explorers in Florida.

In those days, scientists could only guess about the plant’s strange cupped structure — and after a great deal of study, they concluded that pitcher plants were benevolently designed by God to provide safe refuge for small creatures. (Alas, that’s exactly what the plant’s unsuspecting victims probably think, as well.) Three hundred years later, Charles Darwin was the first to guess at the true purpose of the plant’s unique architecture: not a shelter, but a deadly trap. When experiments showed that pitcher plants digested and absorbed bits of venison dropped into its throat, the mystery was officially solved.

Among all the hundreds of families of flowering plants on the planet, only ten include species capable of trapping animals. There remains much we don’t know about these carnivorous beauties: their lifespan is uncertain, for example, because they sprout from a thick, fleshy rhizome that can spread out underground to give the appearance of multiple plants. In the wild, a large stand of plants may be just a few old — but widespread — individuals. And the intricate patterns on some Sarracenia may extend beyond the visible light spectrum; there is evidence to suggest that they actually have other patterns that can only be detected with ultraviolet vision.

So much to learn, but we may not have that chance — pitcher plant habitat is disappearing at an incredible rate. Wetlands throughout the world are being drained for development. Even preserved wetlands often become contaminated with agricultural and residential runoff. Most of the large Sarracenia stands of the past are already gone.

Fortunately for pitcher plants in my region (and for those of us who like to draw them) a number of bogs are being carefully protected. The largest is Splinter Hill Bog, where this beautiful specimen was growing. There’s also a bog at Weeks Bay Estuarine Reserve near Fairhope, and at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge just north of Gautier, MS.

 

New Workshop: Aquatic Plants in Watercolor Pencil

31 Tuesday Jul 2012

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Alabama, art classes, botanical art, colored pencil, drawing, ecology, how to draw, Val Webb, watercolor, workshops

I’m delighted to offer a new workshop at 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center:

Aquatic Plants in Watercolor Pencil
Saturday, September 8 from 10am to 3pm
5 Rivers Delta Resource Center (on the Causeway)
Spanish Fort, AL
No experience necessary!

 The Mobile-Tensaw Delta, considered the best remaining delta 
ecosystem of its kind in the United States, is home to 500 species
of plants. We'll focus on some favorites including lotus and pitcher
plants, sketching from specimens and reference material and then
creating color studies in watercolor pencil. Step-by-step guidance
will be provided -- all levels of art experience (or none at all) 
welcome. Bring your lunch and a small set of watercolor pencils, 
and all other supplies will be provided. My botanical drawing
workshops fill up fast -- your registration must be received to
hold your place. The cost of the workshop is $50. Email to sign up:
studio@valwebb.com







A day by the bay

09 Sunday Jan 2011

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Alabama, birds, drawing, ecology, Val Webb, watercolor

Spent some recreational drawing time today at Weeks Bay Estuarine Research Reserve, where the natural history collection includes some very enticing native birds’ eggs. Speckles are so much fun to paint! Took a stroll on the boardwalk to look out over the reserve’s beautiful wetlands, feeling thankful for a dazzling afternoon while so much of the nation is bracing for more sleet and snow:

Tonight’s the night…

06 Saturday Nov 2010

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Alabama, birds, ecology, Val Webb

                                                                   By Caleb Morris of Atlanta, GA

Beginning at 10:30pm Central Standard Time, the much-anticipated Postcards from the Gulf online pre-sale will begin. All those paintings (on vintage postcards!) produced by artists from around the world, celebrating the natural beauty of the Gulf of Mexico in response to the recent oil spill, will suddenly be available for purchase — with all proceeds going to support oil release work by Alabama Coastal Foundation. Postcards will continue to be available at $50 apiece through Nov. 12. A public gallery reception will be held on that date, with the entire collection on display for one night, and then these lovely pieces will be shipped to their new owners. Get the whole story, and find out where to attend the one-night exhibition, here.  Browse the postcards here.  And just to whet your appetite:

Original artwork by Kim Taylor of Theodore, AL

Blue? Green? Now you can have both

19 Sunday Sep 2010

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birds, ecology, raku

 

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has purchased a Brown Pelican raku tile to benefit Mobile Baykeeper’s ongoing work related to oil spill recovery on the Gulf coast. In addition to the original turquoise background with carved black “frame” border, I’ve introduced a contemporary design option featuring a background in a copper green glaze, with a minimalist white crackle border. More choices! That’s always a good thing.

Both versions of the limited edition tile are available for $50.  Local orders can be picked up at my studio in Mobile, Alabama, but I’m happy to pack and ship anywhere in the US for $8.  Email me for more info.

Sneak peek: postcards come home to roost

28 Saturday Aug 2010

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art, ecology

Checking the mail has never been so much fun. One by one, Postcards from the Gulf are returning from the studios of artists on three continents. Here are a few of them, just to whet your visual appetite. Next week, we’ll set up the official event web site and post some high-resolution scans with information on participating artists.

Today, 78 vintage postcards have gone out. The return deadline has been extended to September 30, to allow time to send and receive international mail. I have only 20 available postcards remaining… and they won’t last long. If you’re an artist who would like to take part, please read the guidelines and then send me an email with your snail-mail address. Heartfelt thanks to all who have joined this journey on behalf of Alabama Coastal Foundation. Details about the final gallery gala will be posted as they unfold.

Two butterfly tiles

23 Monday Aug 2010

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Tags

butterflies, ecology, pottery

Carved raku butterfly tiles by Val Webb - $45

Lately, I’ve been carving butterflies — quite a few of them. It’s fun to try to capture their delicate wing structure and vivid color patterns in clay and glaze… and it’s a humane alternative to beautiful (but very dead) framed butterfly specimens. Early last year, when some entomologists predicted the demise of the world’s monarch population within 50 years, plenty of people were skeptical. Now it seems that this lovely species may have considerably less time remaining: 80 percent of the Oyamel fir trees upon which they overwinter have now been lost to illegal logging in Mexico, and torrential rains may have killed half the migratory population last year. The forecast seems grim.

Want to help the monarchs out? You can, in three simple ways:

Plant milkweed. Monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed plants, and native milkweeds are increasingly rare. If you’re not sure where to find seeds in your area, there are some great sources online who can provide seeds and advice for milkweeds that will thrive in your climate zone.

Avoid pesticide use on your lawn and garden.  Chemicals in pesticides can drift, and are harmful to monarch caterpillars and adults.

 Eat organic foods. Glyphosate herbicides, routinely sprayed on corn and soybean crops in the United States, play a major role in monarch population loss. (And they aren’t good for you, either.)

They’re small steps, but important ones. And they can help ensure that your great-grandchildren will get to see migrating monarchs.

Brown Pelican raku art to benefit Baykeeper

03 Tuesday Aug 2010

Posted by valwebb in Uncategorized

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Tags

birds, ecology, raku

I’m very proud to be working with Gulf Coast environmental organization, Mobile Baykeeper, to help raise funds for ongoing conservation and recovery work related to the Deepwater Horizon spill.

My limited edition 7×7 Brown Pelican tiles are handmade, individually glazed and raku fired one at a time so that each is a unique artwork. I have signed and numbered each one, and a nichrome wire hanger is fired into the back so that can be hung indoors or out. Net proceeds for every sale go directly to Mobile Baykeeper. The cost to purchase a tile is $50. (Shipping in the US is $8.)

Check, money order or PayPal are welcome. Email studio@valwebb.com to place your order. 

An especially grand Grandman

13 Sunday Jun 2010

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Tags

birds, ecology, raku

Here’s a riddle for you.

Q: When does a vegetarian clay artist smell like a smoked ham? A: When she has been raku firing 40 carved tiles (cough, cough).

Another Grandman Triathlon has come and gone, and this year I based the trophy design on a variation of host organization Mobile Baykeeper’s distinctive heron logo. The result was simple and clean; I think it might be my favorite of the past five years’ raku race tiles. What do you think?

Due to the Gulf oil spill (and the fact that Mobile Baykeeper’s mission is to protect our coastal watershed) this year’s race was especially poignant. And especially newsworthy, apparently: it was covered in the New York Times.


Building a better clothesline

07 Monday Jun 2010

Posted by valwebb in Uncategorized

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

ecology, green living, sustainability

I’m doing laundry today, and feeling a twinge of guilt each time I shut the dryer door and press the button to start the wet clothes tumbling. You can count on an Alabama summer to provide blast-furnace heat each day — heat that will dry those soggy jeans almost as fast as you can hang them out — but it’s awfully easy to find reasons to default to the convenience of my electric dryer. I know better, of course. Hanging my clothes outside is a simple way to shrink my household environmental footprint. Dryers gobble up a considerable amount of electricity — more watts per hour than washers, water heaters, air conditioners or dishwashers — but a clothesline doesn’t use any at all. I think about the oily mess unfolding on the Gulf coast beaches 30 miles south of my house, a disaster that resulted at least in part from our huge national appetite for energy, and I resolve to do better.

Levi Strauss & Co. is getting in on the energy-saving act through a contest called Care to Air. They’re seeking ideas that will improve or replace the clothesline, and anyone can participate. Air drying ideas will be accepted until July 31, and winners will be announced in August. In addition to the satisfaction of helping to cut energy use, five finalists will win $500. A panel of judges will award prizes ranging from $4,500 to $1,000 for first, second and crowd favorite (that last category will be decided by online votes). Levi’s new clothing care tags urge their customers to only use cold water for laundering, to line dry and to donate old jeans to Goodwill.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the hardware store for some clothesline.

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