Wild Ozark™

~ Nature Artist in Kingston, Arkansas ~ Sharing my experience with Nature through art & writing about my life in the Ozarks

Category: Nature

Slugs and Dragons and Ginseng, Oh My! Wild Ozark Creations

I’ve been working on a few new Wild Ozark creations lately. This creative streak seems to have no end in sight, either, because ideas just keep coming and I keep feeling compelled to follow them through.

Slugs

This is the … Read the rest “Slugs and Dragons and Ginseng, Oh My! Wild Ozark Creations”

13 August 2016
Custom Drawing – “Slug on Poison Ivy”

This is a custom drawing of a slug on poison ivy. In this post I’ll show you the process I use for drawing a picture with Prismacolor pencils. This particular nature drawing is for a business card client.

First, the
… Read the rest “Custom Drawing – “Slug on Poison Ivy””

5 August 2016
Prettiest Rooster Contest

Do you have a pretty rooster?

Wild Ozark is hosting a contest to see who has the prettiest roosters out there.

Send in your entries!

11 Winners will get a free 2017 calendar featuring the prettiest roosters entered into our … Read the rest “Prettiest Rooster Contest”

5 August 2016
Balanced Asymmetry and Order in Chaos in Nature, Work, and Art

Note: an edited and better composed version of this is posted over at Medium.

I’ve been in a crafty mood lately. It’s probably safe to say I’m always in a crafty mood. I think I’ve finally figured out why.… Read the rest “Balanced Asymmetry and Order in Chaos in Nature, Work, and Art”

26 July 2016
Mailbox and Back in Under an Hour

Yesterday I brought my camera with me when I went to the mailbox. If I had walked, I know it would have taken more than an hour because I would have seen so many more opportunities to stop and take … Read the rest “Mailbox and Back in Under an Hour”

20 July 2016
Top Questions from Readers: Healing Herbs

Healing Herbs: the first of the Top Questions and Topics of Interest from Readers

Healing herbs and using the wild plants for medicine was one of the most often mentioned topics in the recent survey results.

In case you’re just … Read the rest “Top Questions from Readers: Healing Herbs”

15 July 2016
No Water

This morning I turned on the faucet to put some water on my toothbrush.

Nothing but a few drops came out. Then, nothing. No water.

No Water

My thoughts immediately led to the question in my mind, which was “Where … Read the rest “No Water”

1 July 2016
Panning for Gold in the Rockies

One of Rob’s lifelong dreams, panning for gold in the Rockies, has been fulfilled.

After finding out how relatively affordable such a thing can be, we bought mining rights to a small claim, sight unseen except for photos, in the … Read the rest “Panning for Gold in the Rockies”

17 June 2016
Gold in them thar hills? Ozarkians in the Rockies

I doubt there’s any gold in them thar hills of the Ozarks. Right now, though, we’re on a prospecting mission in the Rockies.

Part of my soul lives out there where the mountains are a mile and more high. However, … Read the rest “Gold in them thar hills? Ozarkians in the Rockies”

14 June 2016
Cedar-Apple Rust : Invasion of Alien-looking Fruiting Bodies

Cedar-Apple Rust

Yesterday we went out to check on ginseng seedlings and found the cedar trees blooming with Cedar-Apple Rust fruiting bodies. It’s caused by a fungus and alternates each year on cedars or apple trees. If there aren’t any … Read the rest “Cedar-Apple Rust : Invasion of Alien-looking Fruiting Bodies”

29 April 2016
Photos of Plants – Medicinal & Useful plants down the Wild Ozark Driveway

I’m still mostly stuck in the house because of my knee (dislocated it a little over a week ago) but I took the four-wheeler and camera down the driveway to get a few photos of plants unfurling or coming into … Read the rest “Photos of Plants – Medicinal & Useful plants down the Wild Ozark Driveway”

25 April 2016
Ginseng in May

I’m drawing a sketch of a 4-prong American ginseng from a photo I took last year in May. The sketch will be titled “Ginseng in May”.

My First Show Entry

This drawing will be displayed (and will be for sale) … Read the rest “Ginseng in May”

18 April 2016
Chasing Windmills and Wildflowers in South Texas

My past week has been filled with family and friends in Louisiana and Texas. While in Texas I got the notion to gather a collection of photos of the old windmills that are out there. Most of these are in … Read the rest “Chasing Windmills and Wildflowers in South Texas”

14 April 2016
Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) Unfurling

The blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) is awake early this spring. I found some the other day, in three different stages of unfurl.

The one completely unfurled is in a pot in the nursery area, the other two are in the … Read the rest “Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) Unfurling”

29 March 2016
Dirt Road Photos – Ozark Sunset Silhouettes

Scene from the dirt road in the Ozarks of northwest Arkansas.

The Ozarks from a Scenic Dirt Road

I was driving home from my daughter’s house this evening as the sun began setting on our beautiful Ozark hills. Just so happened … Read the rest “Dirt Road Photos – Ozark Sunset Silhouettes”

20 March 2016
Stone Tool – Relic of a Long Bygone Era

I knew when I saw the rounded hand-sized rock that it was more than “just a rock”. It was a stone tool, & probably several thousand years old.

There is something special about holding a stone I know once was … Read the rest “Stone Tool – Relic of a Long Bygone Era”

5 March 2016
Coyotes at Midnight

I had trouble getting to sleep last night. Then there were coyotes at midnight, just as the drift of dreams was beginning to take hold. It went on for so long I had time to turn on the audio recorder … Read the rest “Coyotes at Midnight”

23 February 2016
Delve Deeper to Observe Nature

Take a moment from your day and delve deeper to observe nature. You’ll gain a sense of awe and wonder.

Delve deeper

Truly experience that moment. If it’s a plant you’re observing, reach out and touch it (be reasonable – … Read the rest “Delve Deeper to Observe Nature”

13 February 2016
Repairing Our Wild Ozark Spring Water Line

Today I repaired our Wild Ozark spring water line

Since I’ve learned how to do this myself, I figured I’d do it while Mr. Wild Ozark was at work. Later this summer we have plans to change out the entire … Read the rest “Repairing Our Wild Ozark Spring Water Line”

11 February 2016
A problem in our gravity feed spring water system

What is a gravity feed water system?

We are fortunate to have our very own spring fed water source that runs all year long. It is a spring that pumps out enough water, without fail, to serve our household with … Read the rest “A problem in our gravity feed spring water system”

7 February 2016
Kings River Falls – Photos from our hike

On Sunday I went hiking with my two oldest children and their children, one of my daughter’s friends and her children, and my parents to the Kings River Falls. This trail is a little north and east of Fallsville, AR … Read the rest “Kings River Falls – Photos from our hike”

2 February 2016
The Sound of Winter

Some sounds are distinctly “winter”. Sometimes the sound of winter is marked by the absence of sound. Maybe it’s more correctly described as the “silence of winter”.

I am often reminded of how grateful I am to have my sense … Read the rest “The Sound of Winter”

21 January 2016
Meet our new team mates – Bat Cave Botanicals

Wild Ozark is pleased to announce that we’ll be working with Bat Cave Botanicals to bring wild Appalachian ginseng roots and leaf products to our online shop.

About Bat Cave Botanicals

My partner & I are fortunate to live
… Read the rest “Meet our new team mates – Bat Cave Botanicals”

20 January 2016
Warm Egg on a Cold Day

There is something quite satisfying about finding a warm egg in the henhouse on a blustery 15*F morning.

I tried something new to help me wake up a little earlier this morning. It wasn’t until 5 a.m. when the strange … Read the rest “Warm Egg on a Cold Day”

10 January 2016
What is Humanity’s Role in Nature?

Humanity’s Role in Nature

Have you ever thought about humanity’s role in nature? Our various mythologies and religious origin stories offer some ideas that are generally accepted by many, but those are conflicting and I still wonder. Are we here … Read the rest “What is Humanity’s Role in Nature?”

7 January 2016