it was over two weeks, close to three when the weather finally warmed up enough for cecropia to fly. it’s my fervent hope that she flew to a tree, and found a male. her roly-poly abdomen may have held eggs, for a handy male to fertilize. at least, this is what i want to believe happened. both cecropias were released from the back of the house, white cedar (arbor vitae) shingles seem a pleasant and appropriate place for them to stay and me to watch. but i'm flying by the seat of my pants, here, and the information online has been slim and libraries…
this morning i took in the cocoon
and now i have two. there are two very large ones still in the moth house and i can hardly wait to see what species they are.
see how that intelligent and very big caterpillar used local resources for her cocoon building?
i’ve been a funk for so long, and one reason is that if the world hadn’t tilted wrong i would have just finished two wonderful teaching gigs, at maiwa and at washi arts. now i have seven months at least with no teaching, and i miss it. it’s good work in so many ways, the most amazing thing being the aha, or i get it when something makes a deep connection. i’m so enormously lucky to have the paper studio at slu to work in in, and this week i’ve printed with the new (and left from last fall) plants here, as well as making flax paper pigmenting some with indigo, and two earth ochres in combination. i also experimented with gelatin sizing and am evaluating the surfaces for what i like and don’t like. i’ve been following along india flint’s in place class, not doing much the way she suggests (not being a good student seems to be part of the funk) but learning and being inspired by her thinking and teaching.
i lifted the pulling station mat to find indigo patterns
a tiny botanical contact print with a dandelion leaving a surprise
some plants leave tracks, mapping place and leaving clues
i think about fiber and paper and textiles and text and color and design. it could be worse. i’m all for the little ideas that touch down and leave a little trace like that bit of red above. those add up to something huge sometimes, and you just have to keep pushing your understanding, sharpening your skills and be ready. i appreciate you watching here and on instagram, where i’m finding i post photos of the ordinary things that catch my eye. and i wish you all a smooth transition to how normal happens next. meanwhile, if the snow stays away we’ll finish planting out those seedlings that have taken over the windowsills. and the puppy, she’s six months old and full of goofiness.
be well. be safe.
you never know when a porcupine will happen along…