One of the plants that deserves more attention is the mighty milkweed. Often treated as invasive and destructive, it is very important for pollinators as well as monarch butterflies in their caterpillar stage. We have so much milkweed this year but not a single caterpillar as of yet, which is odd.

We make an effort every fall to try and spread the seeds but it can be challenging at times to have them come back year after year.

Also, if you haven’t enjoyed the scent from these flowers, you are missing out. Distinctive and intoxicating.

This rendering was done using a Micron 005 with sepia ink for the sketch and then a Pentel Water Brush with Daniel Smith Watercolour and a little Holbein white gouache. I use an ArtToolKit palette to hold my paint and my current sketchbook of choice is the Etchr Hot Press Landscape book. This is the A4 which has exactly 52 pages. One page for each week of the year. Yes, this will be a 5 year journal or so.

Palette and tools in full viewChoosing this corner to allow room for the next 5 years on this page