Nature

American chestnut Castanea dentata as a prince in a throne

North American native hazelnuts, acorns, chestnuts, and plums photographed in the garden studio

Native American plums and nuts arranged as a mandala for curing in the garden shed that doubles as the photography studio, when such beauty is present. This mandala features nuts and fruit all native to north eastern North America and is possible through the work and generosity of PJ Chmiel who for the last decade has been restoring the soil and planting a native food forest near Kalamazoo, Michigan. A visit earlier in the week … >> read more

Cereus cactus flower and fruit in Mexico

Meet a cereus cactus species with fruit straight out of a Jim Woodring cartoon and very large white flowers that bloom for just one night.

Philodendron with flowers

Wild split-leaf philodendron flowering in central Mexico

Monstera deliciosa or philodendron pertusumare is a tropical vine native to Mexico and Central America. It has large, glossy dark green leaves distinctive for their lovely pattern of oval holes and deep long cuts from the edges. They grow under the canopy in subtropical and tropical climates in both rainforests and those areas that are only seasonally wet and also go through a dry season. For all these reasons they have long been a popular … >> read more

Happy Sleepy, a stuffed toy made by Magda Wojtyra, posed with matching plants with pink dots on the leaves.

Polka dot plant, Hypoestes phyllostachya

A patch of the wonderful though intrusive polka dot plant, Hypoestes phyllostachya, grows in a shady bit of jungle at the edge of a garden in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The plant has distinctive coloring with bright pink dots on its smooth, glossy, dark green leaves. This Happy Sleepy was a perfect match.