
Our variegated rubber trees have been put in the naughty corner.

Our variegated rubber trees have been put in the naughty corner.

Last day of Wild Wonder was a doozy. I especially liked learning more about scavengers, detritivores and decomposers from Robin Lee Carlson. I feel chock full of learning, inspiration, and screen overload. Time to get outside!!

Downy woodpeckers are native to the (mainly deciduous) forested areas of North America. They are the smallest of the woodpeckers in N. America —14 to 18 cm (5.5 to 7.1 in) in length. They mainly eat insects, but they also feed on seeds and berries. They are a natural predator of the European corn borer, a moth that costs the US agriculture industry more than $1 billion annually in crop losses and population control.
I had fun painting this one with Ian de Hoog as my instructor.

I always love a Jean Mackay class. Here in SoCal we don’t have many deciduous trees, so it’s not likely I’ll get to see a lot of abandoned nests in bare branches in the coming months. But I’ll be keeping my eyes open, just in case.
My mum used this cleaning product when I was a kid. She called it “Bon Amy”, but I go for the French pronunciation. I’m glad that my local small-town hardware store carries it; none of the supermarket chains do. It’s been around since 1886, and it’s more enviro-friendly than similar Big Brand powder cleansers. PLUS it’s Martha approved!
Is Martha Stewart, and her opinions, still relevant? I don’t know or care! I just like my good friend Bon Ami!