« September 2018 | Main | November 2018 »
Four pumpkins carved. A lovely warm night. Best wishes to everyone for a Happy Halloween.
And I would like to thank everyone that has bought art from me this year. Here is a photograph from the show with myself and Kathleen Kendall. The show closes today, but it was the best one ever!
Despite the deary day, I am excited. There are 2 new pieces of art to deliver and I have a fabulous costume. There will be photographs of the "Meet the Artists" reception, but maybe I will see some of you at Art A La Carte, before the day is done. The address is 310 Mill Street, Occoquan, VA (reception is from 2 to 5).
In the late hours of last night, I finished this fabulous piece. Her name is "Fearless Miss Emma', complete with daggers made from fork tines.
She is 24 x 17.5" large, and the wheel turns. To say that this was a complicated piece of art to build is an understatement. Magnets hold her in the upright position.
I also finished another wand, this one is the "Wand of Spirituality'. Created with a Hindu deity and rosary beads, as well as a glass eye, it's for spiritual health, prosperity, and balance.
A magnet also hold the wand in place, she can be lifted off and replaced as needed.
These join the show for October, the "Admit One Show" which is circus themed. My dear friend Kathleen Kendall has also created circus art, which includes oil paintings and clay figures that have moving parts. Together we have put together a large body of art that we are truly proud of. No small task! We have already decided to move forward with another joint show for next year with a theme of sea or ocean. Title will be announced in time, it's only a year away.
It's that time of year when the woolly caterpillars are traveling. I'm not sure if they do it for several months, or I just remember that they cross the highways in September. As a naturalist, or a lover of nature, I veer a bit as I drive, trying to avoid smashing them.
Woolly caterpillars don't seem to be going in any one direction. Yesterday I saw two pass each other, one traveling east, and the other west. Folklore will tell you that if their all headed south, winter will be cold. Folklore will also tell you that the bands of black and brown can predict when winter will be cold or mild.
The common woolly caterpillar is the larvae of the tiger moth. In this case the term "common" is key, there are over 200 species of tiger moths. The scientific name for the one that so frequently crosses the road is Pyrrhactia isabella or the Isabella tiger moth. She, and I will always think of her as a she, was born from an egg in fall.
These seemingly misdirected wanderers are looking for a place to spend the winter, a dark and sheltered spot. The bristles act like insulation, slowing down the effects of freezing temperatures. Internally the caterpillar won't freeze, a chemical protects them, in fact they can survive -90 degrees Fahrenheit.
In their larval stage there are many food choices. Preferences are dandelions, sunflowers, nettles, and greens like cabbage, and spinach. The actual Isabella tiger moth will emerge from a cocoon in spring, living a few days and laying eggs for the generation before these October babies.
There are 13 segments or little ridges on their body, we also have thirteen weeks of winter (December 21 - March 20), hence the belief that they can predict our winter weather. Typically you have black bands at each end and brown in the middle. Black means cold, brown means less cold, or milder.
Some of the most profoundly intelligent gardeners will rely on the markings of the wooly caterpillar to predict winter. Of course there are other indicators; the thickness of an acorn shell and/or the height of a bees nest, which is best expressed with this old rhyme; "See how high the hornets’ nest, twill tell how high the snow will rest".
I decided a long time ago that I was a terrible predictor of winter. Those of us that have outdoor jobs are often relied upon for this kind of predictive power. Of course I observe the wooly caterpillars as they cross my path, and the bee's nests, and numerous other age old beliefs. But I don't count those wooly bands and mark my calendar, or crack open an acorn and measure its shell.
Knowingly or unknowingly, the wooly caterpillar has been right for a couple of years, or at least pretty darn close. Last winter came in very cold and fast, February say a big thaw, and March was rudely cold. So cold was last March and the March before that I have come to expect it.
Giving the weatherman some credit, the real prediction is for a milder winter with a weak El Nino. Today’s woolly caterpillar sported a thin black band for late December, a long brown band, and then a nasty looking black band to end it all. Seems pretty clear to me, but then I don't make these predictions.
There will be a nip in the air before the week is done. That will begin the process of closing my garden, digging special plants and remembering a summer of rain. It appears to be somewhat of a mast year, with plenty of acorns, persimmons, and walnuts. Is it a cycle (as they say), or the lack of a summer drought?
The garden will be missed, it was extra good this year. Well, my night garden was good, the vegetable garden was fair and my wildflower garden was bleh. In the night garden I saw three peaks, with the mid-summer one rivaling anything I have ever seen before. A peak night (which is usually two) means that all three brugmansias were blooming as well an numerous other things, like my night blooming cereus and moon vine. The third peak is just ending and it was lovely.
With fleeting night flowers, the wheelbarrow gets filled up as they fade.
There were some different visitors to the garden, and all were welcome. Besides the countless monarchs (yay!!), there were white lined sphinx moths and many other butterflies.
Monarchs built their chrysalises on the fence, under leaves, on my wheelbarrow handles, and under the garden benches.
As is the way, I try many tropical plants in my raised beds and another flower that performed well was the pea vine, which might as well be the pee vine. The proper name is Clitorea ternatea 'Alba', as you might imagine.
And with the onset of fall, I will share a few photographs from the workshop that was just held at Merrifield Garden Center. A wreath making workshop, taught by myself and Wilson, it was loads of fun and everyone's wreath came out beautiful!
Wilson and I will be teaming up again to guide folks in the creation of a Thanksgiving centerpiece. The class is on Saturday, November 17th and you can sign up here. Timed so it's just a week before Thanksgiving, everything will be fresh and beautiful.
This weekend (Saturday, the 13th of October) is the Fall Harvest Festival at the Gainesville location of Merrifield Garden Center, and it's free too! A great lineup of speakers with the famous Ruth Clausen, myself, and Kim Scott. I have rehearsed and rehearsed, it will be so good. Here is a link so take a gander.
The Admit One Show opens today at Art A La Carte in Occoquan, Virginia. A reception will be held on Saturday, October 27th, from 2 t0 5 with wine tastings and treats. There are 23 new pieces of art in this show, which includes a handful of altered Pez dispensers.
The big pieces have become a body of work that I am really proud of, they include a palm reader, a trapeze artist and a juggler. I used so much red paint building this show that I actually ran out.
So if your in the quaint little town of Occoquan, please stop by 310 Mill Street to check it out. The town holds a "Haunt the Town" on the same day as my reception, so there will adults and children in costume.
And for a really big announcement, the Art A La Carte Gallery has a new website and you can buy my art directly from the website. I will ship anywhere! So here is that link: https://artalacarte.artstorefronts.com/karen-rexrode
New items will be placed on the website on a regular basis, in fact a few will up shortly. So visit again.
