a little fresh fruit in the middle of winter.

highbush cranberries

roadside on lexington avenue, saint paul, minnesota

i decided tbat everyone, including myself, just needed a little beach imagery today in the midst of this unrelentingly aggressive north american winter. deep breath. smell the iodine and briny air. let it out. now put your boots on and don’t forget a scarf.

sand dollars (flattened, burrowing sea urchins belonging to the order clypeasteroida)

north captiva island, gulf coast, florida

except for the the little bird’s foot catkins dangling at the ends of these branches, i thought they looked like roots just pulled from the ground.

winter birch tree branches with catkins

rice creek regional trail, saint paul, minnesota

the orange viceroy wing has sat, exposed and unprotected, on my collections table for months. i have no idea where i would have found it; a windshield or a sidewalk are likely candidates. the top two were precious gifts from an earnest nine year old boy who spends a lot of time exploring the back yard. the origin of the bottom wing is cloaked in mystery.

collection of found wings: katydid, cicada, viceroy, mourning cloak

all found in minnesota

right brain. left brain in a single image–not unlike it’s maker, the artist-engineer.

common knapweed

rice creek regional trail, saint paul, minnesota