Prairie thrills

At certain times of the year the grasses and bushes in the prairie are tall and thick, making access challenging.  Once winter sets in they turn glorious colors of golds, oranges, browns and purples, then gradually the vegetation thins.  During this time the prairies receive their winter visitors ~ birds on their migratory routes dipping down to forage and thrill us with their circling calls.  Smaller birds dart from bush to bush.  Often when I'm painting I will suddenly be surprised as a flock of small birds I hadn't noticed flees from a nearby bush, started by a noise I may have unconsciously made!  I always return from these trips refreshed and rejuvenated!

As you will have read, our big event at Prairie Creek Lodge is just around the corner!  The postcards are ready and are being mailed and we're inviting everyone we can to come and see what we've done and hopefully purchase our paintings to support art and the invaluable work being done by the Alachua Conservation Trust.  ACT has gone out of their way to prepare a fun day for this project on February 25.  It will run from noon to 9 p.m.  One or the other of us will be painting on location throughout the afternoon, so you can come and watch and talk with us as we work.  There will be live music and hors d'ouvres.  This will also be a great opportunity to learn about the educational and land acquisition projects of the Alachua Conservation Trust.  If you'd like more information, you are welcome to contact them directly at 352-373-1078.  We hope to see you there! 

Mary Jane Volkmann

Prairie Riot

Walking in the prairies at different times of  the year I am always delighted to observe how nature changes her drapery.  From exposed branches and the tangled design of grasses to the riot of color as the buds burst into bloom, each season brings both its subtle and bold changes, never ceasing to point out to me something I haven't seen before! This painting is from a spot I often visit along the La Chua Trail in Paynes Prairie.

Mary Jane Volkmann

Pines

Pines

24x18 inches

acrylic on canvas

I have a great love for trees and particularly for pines. I often see tall pines that rim prairies. This time of year there is an abundance of wildflowers and of Goldenrod. Pines are a challenging painting subject. Their tall, graceful statures and interesting canopies are beautiful. I really love their bark and color. When I was a child there was a tall pine in the school yard and we all spent much recess time carving our names and symbols into its bark.

Linda Blondheim

Sundog over the Prairie

Living where I do in Florida, my view of the skies is rather limited by the surrounding trees.  When I walk through the overhanging oaks, pines and bushes at the edge of the prairies and emerge into their vast open spaces, it almost feels like a theater curtain parts in front of me, teasing my imagination in wonder at what lies beyond the vast expanse of sky in all directions.  The open view pushes my thoughts from the close up to the distant.  I like to look at the change of color in each part of the sky, to watch the birds winging their flight above and to see the clouds skirting by as they do their dance from the wispy to the billowing, becoming small in the perspective of distance. As I was walking in Paynes Prairie late one afternoon, watching the shadow of jet trails on the thin veil of clouds I turned and saw this beautiful sun dog!  Below my photo I have cut and pasted what I learned about them from Wikipedia.

"Sundogs are made commonly of plate-shaped hexagonal ice crystals in high and cold cirrus clouds or, during very cold weather, by ice crystals called diamond dust drifting in the air at low levels. These crystals act as prisms, bending the light rays passing through them with a minimum deflection of 22°. If the crystals are randomly oriented, a complete ring around the sun is seen — a halo. But often, as the crystals sink through the air they become vertically aligned, so sunlight is refracted horizontally — in this case, sundogs are seen.
As the sun rises higher, the rays passing through the crystals are increasingly skewed from the horizontal plane. Their angle of deviation increases and the sundogs move further from the sun. However, they always stay at the same elevation as the sun.
Sundogs are red-colored at the side nearest the sun. Farther out the colors grade through oranges to blue. However, the colors overlap considerably and so are muted, never pure or saturated. The colors of the sundog finally merge into the white of the parhelic circle (if the latter is visible)." ~ Wikipedia

Mary Jane Volkmann

Prairie Pines

Pines

12x9 inches

acrylic on panel

Pine Flatwoods and Dry Prairies are part of the Upland Ecosystem. Prior to the advent of air conditioning, Florida was an unbearable place for people to live. The things that sustained Florida before tourism were turpentine harvesting, logging and other industries that depended on these upland ecosystems. Nearly half of the land area in Florida is pine flatwoods - generally flat, low lying land with poorly drained soil. In fact, the term "flatwoods" arose from the noticeable lack of topographic relief in the lands of this habitat. One of the most famous prairies in Florida is Paynes Prairie, a state reserve just south of Gainesville, Florida.- From http://www.floridiannature.com/

I've always loved to paint pine trees and they often rim a prairie like Hopkins Prairie near Ocala.

 

Linda Blondheim



Paynes Prairie Muck Fire

   My wife and I traveled to Paynes Prairie over this past weekend. The weather has been just too hot to sit and paint, so once again we were armed with our cameras. Our first stop was the visitors center where we gathered up all the information about the area. Our second stop proved to be very interesting. From the observation tower we saw a muck fire in progress. It had been started the day before by lighting and according to the Ranger had burned about one hundred and fifty acres.
   The sharp contrast of the deep green trees in the foreground against the ever changing colors of the smoke in the background, was something to behold. The studio painting "Paynes Praire Muck Fire" came from my research that day.

Scott Hiestand

Oak Savannas

I have always been crazy about trees and have spent a lot of time in the last few years studying and painting trees. Here is some interesting information about Oaks Savannas.

Oak savannas once dominated a vast acreage in the prairie-oak transition. These forests have experienced significant decline primarily due to fire suppression and land use changes. The oak savannas of today represent only 0.02% of the original range making them the most endangered community in the prairie. Oak savannas are areas dominated by low-density oak trees with an understory consisting of a diverse array of grass and herbaceous species. The historical fire regime in these systems was frequent low intensity underburns occurring every 2-12 years that consumed primarily the grass understory. Climate and ungulate migration may have also been determining factors in the expanse of these systems. Savanna oaks and the accompanying understory have adaptations that help them withstand fire, drought, and other disturbances. Fire suppression has resulted in forests with closed canopies, which limits oak regeneration while favoring favoring more shade tolerant hardwoods. Along with this change there has been an increase in litter layers, decreased species diversity, and decreased savanna wildlife.  Restoration is the primary means to reintroduce these systems. Oak savanna restoration requires reducing canopy cover to change structure and reintroducing fire to restore process. Often additional treatments are needed when prescribed fire proves to be incapable at reducing canopy density. Regardless of the restoration process, the oak savanna has to be continually managed to ensure regeneration. Restoring these ecosystems leads to an increase in understory heterogeneity and a unique assemblage of oaks and savanna species.

From: http://www.forestencyclopedia.net/

Linda Blondheim

Kanapaha Prairie Trees

18x24 inches

acrylic on panel

One day a couple of weeks ago, I walked down this road with Mary Jane Volkmann while we explored Kanapaha Prairie. I have been fascinated by the differences in the prairies we all are studying and painting. They are exceptionally diverse and all beautiful in their own way. They are all lush with summer green right now. I look forward to painting them in winter with a more diverse palette.

Linda Blondheim

Prairies and Snakes

Certainly one thing I share with other plein air painters is the occasional encounter with snakes.  One day when I was painting along a canal a weed whacker came up the waterway and as it was chopping the invasive water plants, it spewed them into the air along with chopped bits of snakes which landed a bit too close to me for my comfort. Some of them were still wiggling as they rained down and landed!  As I stood and watched I saw hundreds of delighted birds appear seemingly out of nowhere to swoop down and treat themselves to an unexpected feast.  On another occasion at Paynes Prairie State Park, I happened to look over the bridge and saw a tangle of snakes (see photo).  There were people on the bridge exclaiming "look at the moccasins!" and someone was actually throwing little things at them. When I checked with the park ranger, I was told that they were green water snakes mating, not moccasins.  I read on switcheroozoo that "The Florida green water snake is a common, harmless snake that can be found in weedy marshes and grasses around ponds and along canals, sometimes basking in the vegetation. If threatened or harassed, the green water snake may bite and emit an unpleasant smell. These snakes are active primarily in the daytime, but can also be found feeding on minnows or small fish in the early evenings. Florida green water snakes are excellent swimmers and can dive from logs or tree limbs into the water. They bear their young alive and can have litters as large as 100!"  In researching them further I found an article from the Florida Scientist stating that "U.S. Highway 441 at Paynes Prairie appears to have one of the highest levels of snake road mortality ever reported" and that this same snake was one of the most commonly killed.  Aside from painting, I am using the Six Artists Six Prairies project to learn as much as I can about our prairies and their inhabitants and to share interesting tidbits I find.

Mary Jane Volkmann

Tuscawilla Trees

5x7 inches

I've always been fascinated by portals or windows in nature which lead from space to space. Tuscawilla Prairie is rimmed by these gorgeous trees, which give me a peek out into the prairie. Fish Prairie is like that too and they both challenge me.

Linda Blondheim

Prairie Hyacinths

Prairie Hyacinths

I love these plants. Sometimes they are as thick as a carpet on the prairies here in north Florida. They range in colors from pinkish lavender to blue. I like the blue ones the best. I remember picking them in bouquets and dragging them wet and dripping into my mother's house when I was a kid. They would quickly turn slimy. I'm sure my mother was appalled with that gift but she always acted like she was thrilled to have them.

Accessing These Beautiful Prairies

One of the increasing challenges we have as landscape painters is accessing pristine land, as so much of it is privately owned and fenced or difficult to reach through the overgrown vegetation.  During this project you will hear us asking around for help in getting to vantage points where we can paint and photograph these beautiful  prairies.  We so appreciate the offers of help from our conservation partners, friends and the public!  This past weekend friends took me to the farm of a kind, retired professor.  His property abuts Kanapaha Prairie. After walking under majestic overhanging oaks and dangling vines we reached the fence line.  How thrilling to stand there gazing at the panorama that opened before my eyes!  That part of the prairie is being grazed by cattle and is also home to countless birds. I made some new friends along the way, as you can see from these photos!  (I also learned that perhaps I should not have worn a green shirt around the goats...)
~ Mary Jane Volkmann

Welcome to Conservation Trust for Florida

We are proud to partner with

 Conservation Trust for Florida

 CTF works with private landowners on a voluntary basis to help them address their concerns and provide viable land conservation options which allow families to maintain their farm or ranch business and protect the rural and natural character of the land, as well. Many landowners feel pressured to sell their land due to encroaching urban sprawl, rising land prices, and taxes. Since 1999, CTF has successfully protected approximately 9,100 of rural landscapes through publicly funded land conservation programs and privately donated conservation easements. In cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection / Office of Greenways and Trails CTF initiated the Camp Blanding to Osceola National Forest Ecological Greenway. This greenway is part of a documented Florida black bear wildlife corridor that connects the Ocala National Forest to the Osceola National Forest Greenway (O2O).

I will be the Six Artists Six Prairies representative to Conservation Trust for Florida for the duration of this project.

Linda Blondheim