A Hooded merganser enjoys a morning swim 🪶 . #birds #waterfoul #pacificnorthwest #bird #wildlife

Crossing a bridge over a winter river. #umpqua #river #morning #walk #pacificnorthwest

Local fruit and vegetable stand.Beautiful plant food. #eatclean #vegetables #vegetablemarket #bewell #healthy

Cosmic Blossom (Ai): while some of you are thrashing the existence of Ai, some of us are influencing it, to create limitless possibilities. I hope it brings you a magical mood. Apologies for my absence, creating art full throttle, lately. Peace. #art #ai #possibilities #magic #create

A frozen spiderweb. #garden #spiderweb #winter

A red-winged blackbird 🪶 yesterday morning. I love his trilled voice. #birds #bird #pacificnorthwest #naturalworld

More cool art in Seattle. #art #seattle #travel #mural #publicart #Pacificnorthwest

Sparrow mural in the university district, Seattle. Sparrow as the heralding of the salmon runs. #mural #art #publicart #birdart

At Ugly Mug Cafe in the University District, I found my perfect chai. Stay warm! #staywarm #seattle #cafe #travel #pacificnorthwest

I hope you are all well! I have been adventuring in Seattle, Washington. Happy New Year! #travel #firstnation #pacificnorthwest #travelmoments

Back at the old house, the large persimmon tree in the neighbor’s garden would produce fruit at a level far from reach for any human. By December the ripening persimmons drew the attention of crows or ravens. Painting in progress by D.Lopez #art #painting #crows #ravens #autumn #persimmons #seasons

Making Sikil Pak, a Mayan pumpkin seed spread, toasted then milled and mixed with onions, garlic, tomatoes and chilies. 🌶️ #traditionalfoods #vegan #vegetarian #homecooking #protein #pumpkinseeds

I forgot! I planted chard. Plants take care of themselves. #garden #gardening #eatgreens #eatyourveggies

A western bluebird perched on a fence post 🪶. Arana Gulch in Santa Cruz, California during my visit. #bird #birds #naturalism #path #california

Aloe Vera will not survive the drop in temperature. To avoid it becoming sludge I bring it indoors. #plantcare #plants #aloe #houseplants

Back in my kitchen window, a ‘joker’ ornamental pepper plant gives off a holiday vibe. #houseplants #plants #peppers

A beautiful rest stop driving north. #pacificnorthwest #trees #roadtrip

Antique store painting by Dean J Hyde of Southern California. #landscapeartist #artist #art #oilpainting #painting #landscapeart

Rare beauty. A monarch butterfly sunning her wings in sunny California. #california #butterfly #monarchbutterfly #pollinators #california

In my area, it’s time to harvest and process the wild rosehips for their medicine. They appear in time for cold and flu season. Intelligent nature. #rose #wildrose #flora #nativeplants #garden #gardening #pacificnorthwest #naturalmedicine #nativemedicine

Nootka Rose, Rosa nutkana,is used medicinally by a great number of indigenous peoples to treat a wide variety of ailments, and also ceremonially, in handcrafts, and as a food source. I have two shrubs. #nativeflora #nativegarden #rose #plantmedicine #pacificnorthwest

Eventually this native California wild grape (Vitis californica) will change to a lovely red and yellow color with the drop in temperature. #nativeplants #nativeflora #gardening #garden #grapevine

Persimmon season. #persimmons #autumnfood #treats

Hello mushroom 🍄‍🟫 people. #fungus #fungi #pacificnorthwest

Misty morning with autumn trees. #trees #autumn #pacificnorthwest

We did not collect Halloween candy this year. I was still cajoled by family members to make sweet treats. Another recipe with tahini -salted caramel fudge with dates. #treats #vegan #tahini #easyfixings #homemade

A pacific gopher snake blends with the woodland duff. #hike #pacificnorthwest #snake #reptiles #trail

Still collecting tomatoes in October. 😁 #gardening #garden #growyourfood

I hope all of you are well. Autumn in my world 🍂 #autumn

A Mylitta Crescent butterfly is one of the many species showing up this September. #garden #gardening #butterfly #pollinators #pollinatorgarden #gardeningforwildlife

A 30 minute drive can easily bring me to a lovely hike. Waterfalls abound in the Pacific Northwest. #getoutside #naturalworld #waterfalls #naturalist #pacificnorthwest #hike #naturalconnection

The Riverbank Lupine blooms again this year. #nativeplants #nativeflora #plants #garden #gardening #flora #lupine

Every year these strange mushrooms appear near the birch tree. Is it the dead man’s foot mushroom? (There is such a thing 😆) #mushrooms #mushroom #fungi #fungus #garden

I'm attending this event. RT if you think others will find this helpful 🙌 www.plantsforthepeople.com

Salvia mexicana (Mexican sage) is a hummingbird favorite. The bloom color is stunning and calls our attention. #salvia #garden #gardening #flowers #plants #flora

Strawberry Fields globe amaranth has a small but pigment-popping bloom. Pretty from a distance. #flowers #garden #gardening

Jambalaya meets Pozole. A spicy plant based sausage, hominy, sweet peppers, smokey Cajun spices and a garnish of cabbage made this first soup of the season hit. #plantbased #vegetarianfood #veganfood #homecooking #soup #food #mealtime#vegetarian

Blanket flower, bidens, marigolds and narrow leaf cud weed, intermingle in a shared flowerbed. #garden #gardening #pollinatorgarden #flowers #plants

For a year round garden, I have a collection of salvias that bloom in late summer to early fall. My hummingbird attractant 🪶 . #birds #birdgarden #garden #gardeningforwildlife

Moonrise #moon #sky #lookup

In September, the garden becomes a bramble of mixed foliage. #gardening #garden #plants #flowers #pacificnorthwest

Another working bug in the garden. #garden #gardening #insects #preyingmantis

If the strawberry plants produce runners you will find daughter-plants ready for propagation. I clip and grow roots in water, indoors. Gifts for my neighbors. #garden #gardening #strawberries

Working bugs: The American Hoverfly is welcome in my garden. This little one preys on aphids. Seen here with Elegant Tarweed. #nativeplants #nativeflora #nativefauna #naturalpestcontrol #pacificnorthwest #insects #garden #gardening

An American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) lands in the garden. #butterflies #butterfly #wildlife #butterflygardens

As the heat escalates warm loving life forms appear. Reptiles, grasses, salvias, ceanothus, and raptors. The garden accommodates this group. #ecosystem #gardening #garden #gardeningforwildlife #habitat #pacificnorthwest

American pumpkin, Cucurbita pepo, climbs the fence. Can she bear the weight of her fruit at the 5 ft height? Vine plants are clever, and pretty. #pumpkin #garden #gardening

Bunch grasses or butterfly houses? Bunch grasses work well for sheltering anise swallowtail butterflies, moths and dancers. #gardeningforwildlife #insects #bugs #insecthotels #grass #plants #gardening #garden

#sunflower #sunflowers #garden #gardening #pollinators #plants

Pacific Grape/California wild grape (Vitis californica) is a deciduous vine, native to western North America. An 8” stick last fall; now is 7 ft. tall.In autumn the leaves will turn red and bring color to the garden. #nativeflora #nativeplants #plants #gardening #garden #nativeplantsofnorthamerica