Cornelia Hesse-Honegger

A couple years ago, I stumbled across Heteroptera, a book of Cornelia Hesse-Honegger's work, at a used bookstore. It was a surprise in several ways, chiefly that  it's the type of used bookstore that rarely has art books featuring work newer than 1945, let alone contemporary illustration. Hesse-Honegger has been a huge inspiration to me ever since. Not only are her watercolors gorgeous and delicate and of insects (some of my favorite subject matter!) but she's also found a way to use her precise, scientific illustrations to make political statements. Browse her website for more info on how her work chronicles and illuminates environmental changes due to proximity to nuclear power plants. 

 

critter update: squirrel, argiope, and black swallowtail

Quick critter update: there is an adorable argiope, or writing spider, in my garden (left); a funny little squirrel has been lounging in this tree for a few days now (right); and the caterpillar I found in the dill is actually a black swallowtail caterpillar.

herbs & caterpillar

Last weekend my mother helped me pick out some herbs: sweet basil; spearmint; and sorrel. My recently re-potted herbs are accompanied by my mom's dill, cilantro, parsley, basil, rosemary, and thyme. 

I became addicted to the herbs sorrel and lovage last summer when I had a local CSA with Upstate / Paisley farms.  Sorrel has an amazingly pungent, lemony taste, while lovage looks something like Italian parsley and tastes like the freshest, crispiest, tastiest celery ever, but better. I wanted to grow lovage but it's out of season (as was the kale I was hoping to grow!). My mother's dill plant was visited by that little critter, which I think is a monarch caterpillar. Except mine looks like his stripies are yellower.