Hello and welcome to my new blog!
I am a painter up here in the northeastern corner of Illinois, which means I get to visit all kinds of wonderful ecosystems from the shore of Lake Michigan to an open water bog in Volo. In particular, I spend a great deal of time in the Lake County Forest Preserves. How lucky we are to have them! I feel like the staff who take care of our preserves are rock stars~they are talented and dedicated. For most of my adult years I volunteered in one capacity or another. I had the privilege to be butterfly monitor at Illinois Beach for over 10 years, and I helped out at steward workdays here and there as well. This time in the field is what has inspired and informed my work. Nature offers us an endless tapestry to enjoy, to learn from, and to care for.
