Finding Magic in the Backyard
A few featured garden friends and paintings from their inspiration!
In this Find Your Magic Newsletter, I share the little bits of magic found around my outdoor space, along with 3 new paintings and a new series release this Month!
Hello, I hope you are doing and being well! The weather here in Northwest Indiana is brutal…so hot and humid! How is the weather by you?
I have been keeping watch on my wildbirds, squirrels and bunnies, making sure they have fresh, clean water throughout the day. And of course my chickens too! We’ve been supplying them with extra water dishes with ice cubes, cold and frozen watermelon, and cold lettuce. They have shade and shelter, and they love to dig holes in the dirt to keep cool, too!
It’s really interesting to pay attention to things that matter- or maybe things I can control. It helps guide me and takes me outdoors even more so that I can pay more attention.
I was checking out my funky bee balm plant; its flowers look like something from a Dr. Seuss book, and a little bumblebee floated right up into my face, like Hello! I backed away a touch, just as a first reaction, and I looked down to find a four-leaf clover! I said Oh thanks, bee!
The squirrels have been a bit naughty lately. Originally, I had my fly-through bird feeder on my back porch, so I could see the animals from my window (and even sit out there with them!), but when the feeder was empty, the squirrels got mad! I caught one shaking and chewing on my fig tree! One was biting my metal table, and then another chewed through my cute outdoor string lights! Thankfully, they were not plugged in! Crazy! One morning I came out to feed the birds and one of them jumped from my deck rail almost on me! But instead, right past my face! I am like, guys, what the world are you doing!
So that made me decide it was time to move the open feeder to the ground, away from the human area, before a squirrel does something worse!
Which worked out perfectly, because next, I got a surprise visitor- actually four! The crows, they finally came! And now they have been visiting my feeders multiple times a day! They even wake me up around 5:30-6am crowing for their breakfast! They are slowly getting used to me too; they have remembered I feed them!
The blue jays are not fans of the crows, and they will bonk them on the head and chase them, lol. And crows, for such large birds, they are such scardey cats! It’s quite funny to watch them bounce in the air when they get spooked! The squirrels and crows are not friends; they argue constantly.
After going and feeding them back and forth, I noticed a bunch of adorable mushrooms growing under my evergreen trees, and I was amazed at the speed at which they grew- they tripled in size just overnight! So cool!
Because the open feeder was moved to the ground, I tend to move back and forth in this area frequently, especially with the heat- trying to keep things watered- and I then found, sadly, a deceased summer azure butterfly in my driveway. Poor thing, I put him under my catmint flowers. I see these guys fluttering around all the time; they are such beautiful little creatures! Wings of dusty, sparkly blue.
As I search through my clover patch, I find that the little fairies have returned. The tiny aphids are visiting again; these aphids are called woolly aphids. They sport a fuzzy white coat and look like little fairies floating through the air! Have you seen one? They are so teenie tiny! I know they are not a favorite bug in the garden, but either way, still so cute!
This time of year, with the temps rising, the lightning bugs are in full force, creating an enchanted scene in the garden, sparkling through the night! (You’ll see more lightning bugs if you don’t use pesticides in your garden and leave leaf litter out throughout the winter; also great for moths and bees!)I have noticed this year especially that there are many more lightning bugs than in past years! We don’t use any chemicals in the yard and leave the leaves under trees! Lots of plants and even weeds for the bugs to hide in and help them flourish!
My chickens’ outdoor area has been overgrown with a type of nightshade; I am not sure what kind, but they don’t eat it, which is good! But I did have to pull some out to make space, and as I was doing that, I found a dragonfly on its back, belly up- I thought he was dead. But I moved him, and a little leg unfurled… a tiny bit. So, as I am blocking my chickens so they don’t step on him (or eat him), I grabbed a little stick, and he grabbed on! We went for a ride to a safer place, near my hellebores (poisonous, so animals don’t eat it), so even if he was dying, he could do so quietly… without Godzilla chickens around him. But oh, his colors, he was black with a sparkly gold stripe down his back! How magical is that! I checked on him the next morning, and he was gone! I hope he flew away; whatever happened, I tried my best to help him.
Summer Azure Series
This series of beautiful blues, features anemone flowers and a summer azure butterfly!
I was inspired by my recent success in growing anemones! I never thought I could here, but it turns out we have a variety that likes this Midwest weather. They bloom in early spring, and I have one left still blooming. I have this blue/purple color and a magenta. They are so pretty! I love that they appear to have a button in the middle of the flower.
The painting was originally going to feature a bee, but the painting had a different plan. It wanted to feature a different little life, that being the summer azure.
I painted all three canvases all black and used Prussian blue and brown for darks and shadows, ultramarine for a warm blue, mixed with white for lighter values. The cooler greens are a mix of green and Prussian blue, and the warmer, yellow ochre and ultramarine.
I had to do some adjustments, like move the main flower- I actually repainted it entirely! Then, since there is so much dark here, I took a photo on my phone and converted it to black and white, so I can see my values. And see what needs adjustments.
For this mini painting (funny because while the painting size is mini, the butterfly painted is much, much larger than the real-life butterfly!) I remembered to record a bit of the beginning stages of the painting, and it’s really cool to see something start to “come to life”.
I am really excited about this new series, along with the monarch and red roses series!
The mini monarch painting was fun to post about and ask you all what you would name her! I received some really great, beautiful, and magical painting names! So her name is still TBD, but feel free to share what you would name her!
All 6 of these paintings, part of my Magic in the Garden Series, will be available next week on July 10th at 9 am CST! Currently, you can view the previews, a photo, size and medium information, and the price! Nothing will be a surprise when everything goes live!
A few of their titles are still TBD, but please do share ideas! I love hearing from you!
These paintings can be purchased as a set or a stand-alone piece! That’s the magic of these paintings; they all shine on their own, and together even brighter!
Each painting includes a gold wire hanger for hanging on your wall, a certificate of authenticity, and as always, a special little surprise✨
Thank you so much for reading. Have a lovely weekend. Happy Fourth of July (and a safe one), and remember to find your magic!
Maria
I loved how this felt less like a newsletter and more like an invitation to walk through your garden with you. Every encounter, the bee, the crows, the mushrooms, even the dragonfly, became its own little story, and by the time you introduced the paintings, I already understood where they came from. That connection between careful observation and artistic creation is what makes your work feel so magical. Thank you for sharing your world.
This was a lovely read. You brought me right into the whimsy and wonder of your garden.
I have bee balm too, I love how uniquely beautiful its flowers are. 🌸