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Tag Archives: journal

Bees, blooms and “Mad Honey Disease”

06 Tuesday Jan 2015

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botanical art, colored pencil, drawing, flowers, illustration, journal, Val Webb

blog dragonfly One of my favorite parts of drawing garden subjects is the unexpected discovery of some startling bit of botanical history — a story that pops up like an unexpected seedling and demands to be shared. It happened recently during preparation for my online course, The Heirloom Garden in Colored Pencil. A strange story about rhododendrons wrapped its roots around my imagination and wouldn’t let go.

Rhododendrons (and their popular relative, azaleas) produce pollen that contains a small amount of potent neurotoxin. Called grayanotoxin, it’s not harmful under ordinary circumstances… but occasionally, when concentrated by honeybees as they make rhododendron honey, it can cause a nasty illness marked by hallucinations and digestive distress. Although rare today — the most recent US cases on record happened in Seattle in 2011 — “mad honey disease” has a special place in history.

A clever first-century general defeated an entire invading army by putting grayanotoxin to work. During a battle in the Black Sea region in 67 BC, Pompey ordered his troops to leave honeycomb laced with “mad honey” along the path of approaching Roman soldiers. The hungry invaders took the bait. Sickened and disoriented, the Romans were no match for the waiting enemy.

The rhododendron, then, is much more than just a pretty face. Grow them, celebrate their history… but don’t put your beehives too close by.

 

A member of the breakfast club

15 Friday Aug 2014

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Alabama, birds, drawing, illustration, journal, sketchbook, Val Webb, watercolor

Red bellied sketch1He’s becoming a regular, arriving after the bossy cardinal couple and before the mourning doves. Red-bellied woodpeckers are year-round residents here, and apparently they have a hearty appetite for seeds. “My” woodpecker is a male, easily recognized by his red cowl. Females display a red patch only on the backs of their necks. (Despite their name, you can watch these birds for hours and never catch a glimpse of their red-tinged belly feathers. But the bold black-and-white bars on their wings and their bright caps make it easy to identify them anyway. Bon apetit, Mr. Woodpecker.)

Just a little sketch

14 Saturday Jun 2014

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drawing, fairies, illustration, journal, sketchbook, Val Webb

 

sketch2I love drawing fish. This fellow, and his little naiad passenger, appeared in the corner of a sketchbook page this week. A few minutes later, they were joined by some friends:

sketch1sketch3

Marion

19 Wednesday Sep 2012

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Alabama, art, drawing, illustration, journal, sketchbook, Val Webb

On the road…

11 Saturday Aug 2012

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birds, dogs, drawing, journal, Val Webb

Squeak!

14 Tuesday Feb 2012

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drawing, illustration, journal, mice, sketchbook, trivia, Val Webb, Valentine's Day, watercolor

Preliminary drawing: The flying lesson

17 Saturday Dec 2011

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creativity, drawing, fairies, journal, sketchbook, spring, Val Webb

Working on drawing some printable fairy calendar pages for 2012. Here’s a partial sketch for a spring page… add some fledgling birds and the flying lesson wil be under way!

Harbinger of springtime

03 Thursday Feb 2011

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Alabama, drawing, flowers, journal, sketchbook, Val Webb

Came across this older sketchbook page this morning… I’ll be on the lookout for oakleaf hydrangeas coming to life this month:

moleskine-oakleafhydrangea

I rarely see oakleaf hydrangeas in our city. But its kissing cousin, the bigleaf hydrangea, blooms in pink and blue abundance all through our long, humid summers. No matter what your favorite hydrangea might be, it’s time to plant them this month if you live in Alabama.

This morning…

12 Saturday Jun 2010

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birds, journal, sketchbook, Val Webb

Sketchbook: Autumnal Equinox

22 Tuesday Sep 2009

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art, autumn equinox, botanical art, drawing, flowers, gardening, journal, sketchbook, Val Webb

autumnaloe

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  • 4 different lesson collections
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  • A gift for you
  • Birds in Colored Pencil
  • Botanical Sketchbook Painting
  • Draw and Paint Six Culinary Herbs
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  • Eight Flowers Eight Ways
  • Fairies II: Enchanted World
  • Gentle Garden: Draw in Carbon Pencil
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  • New online course!
  • NEW! Vintage Postcard Birds & Butterflies Mini-Course
  • Online Courses – Complete List
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