Puttyroot orchids (Aplectrum hyemale)

 

The day after our long circuit around Amanda's farm, I was tired, but excited at the prospect of sketching the Puttyroot orchids from life. I'd come across these a few years before on Wildcat Mountain near me, but here was a great opportunity to revisit them and spend more time studying these unusual native orchids.

I got my gear and backpack ready, and set out around nine o'clock, walking on Westminster Road toward the driveway among the woods. Along the way I noticed that there were puddles in the road, and realized it had likely rained overnight--I must have been so tired I'd slept through it, despite the tin roof on the Red House.

The woods were fresh and dewy, just delightful! I looked for the sticks we'd used to mark the location of the three orchids we'd spotted, but I couldn't find them--must be farther up the road. I continued until I reached the end of the wooded section where the hillside opens to a view of the grassy valley--that was too far, I knew this wasn't orchid terrain, so I backtracked, looking more carefully.

Eventually I found the marking sticks with the dried leaf, but there was only one orchid there! What had happened to the others we'd seen? Deer must have eaten them--there was not a trace of them, not even a chewed-off stem! Oh, well, one orchid would do. I set up  my camping stool as close as possible to it, which put it at a crazy angle leaning into the road bank, and got out my old Sennelier watercolor travel set and brushes. 

 

Sketch of Puttyroot orchid

 

I worked happily for about an hour, including the dried leaf in the sketch until my back started the ache from the odd position I was in. I looked up and noticed that it was clouding up and a breeze was stirring the trees overhead, shaking raindrops from the tree canopy--they'd been falling now and then, occasionally wetting my sketchbook. Perhaps it was fixing to rain again? It certainly looked like it. Better to pack up in case it did--I didn't want my sketchbook to get wet!

I packed up and started going back up the driveway, noting the location of the orchid again, and looking for any other plants that I might want to sketch later. I was digging up some garlic mustard along the way when the shower started. Fortunately, I had a rain jacket in my pack, stopped to pull it on and continued back toward the house.

The shower was brief--once on Westminster Road, the trees sheltered me most of the way and by the time I reached the driveway of the Red House, the rain had stopped and the sun was out again, making it quite warm. I had to take off the rain jacket before I reached the house.

Buckeye Seedlings and Blossoms

Original Red Buckeye sketch

 

I started painting my buckeye seedlings early this spring, as soon as I saw one sprouting. Working from life and making my drawing directly on the paper, I got this far, with the seedling at two stages: just unfolding, and with two sets of leaves. The painting needed something more, but I wasn't sure exactly what.

About a month later, during my spring walk at Blandy Farm, when I saw the red buckeyes in bloom I thought that a flowering branch of the tree might be just the thing to complete my painting.

I sketched these flowers of the hybrid buckeye (Aesculus x mutabilis) in the field, directly from life, and finished the other leaf later in my studio.

 

Original field sketch of Aesculus x mutabilis

Completed sketch of A. x mutabilis

I took a small flowering branch of the red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) with me to work on it in my studio. Since live specimens start to decay quickly, I began to work on it that very afternoon after putting it in a bowl of water. I was looking for a way to add this to the painting I'd started with the seedlings.

There wasn't enough space for the flowering branch on the paper, except to place it behind the larger seedling with the two leaves. But wherever the branch was placed, the seedling in front was in the wrong spot to accommodate the branch! Still, in my haste to capture the flowers before they decayed, I decided to go ahead anyway.

 

Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) seedlings and flowers

I added the seed and roots to the emerging seedling on the left in an attempt to take the curse off the whole, but the image is still way too confusing from the compositional standpoint--I wish I'd placed the second stage of the seedling lower from the beginning so that its leaves would not obscure the branch so much. But, unfortunate as it is, it is what it is. At least I have something to work from for a second, improved painting.

At the Red House

 

View of the Red House in Bath County.

It's been a ten days since I arrived at the Red House in Millboro, VA to be Artist-in-Residence for four weeks. Bath County is one of Virginia's western mountain counties that borders with West Virginia and is home to several natural spring resorts that became popular vacation spots in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. In the days before air conditioning, many people flocked to these cooler mountain resorts during the sweltering summers of the DC and Richmond areas. Today the area remains rural and very scenic, popular with hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.

The animals here are my only companions: Moonstar, the horse, and two goats, Brownie and the Old Lady--they live in the sheds behind the house and enjoy an ample and lovely pasture on the hillside.

 

Moonstar and the goats.

Moonstar

 

I arrived on a Sunday afternoon and was greeted by a light shower that kept up all through unloading the car--I unloaded only the items I would need for the night and my groceries, leaving most of the art supplies for the next day. Around evening, the clouds cleared and the sun came out, so I got out a small sketchbook,  palette and brushes to do a quick watercolor of the hillside while the evening light lasted. 

I reheated the leftover spaghetti I'd brought for my first meal and made a salad to go with it but--oh, no! I'd forgotten to bring the wine! And a bunch of other groceries too: dairy, deli cuts, half and half for my tea and such. Oh well, I could survive without those for a few days.

The next morning, Amanda stopped by to look in on me and we chatted for a while. When I told her I'd left my supply of wine at home, she was kind enough to offer to bring me some she had at her house, which she did in the evening when she came by to put out feed for the horse and goats.

My BASNCR friend Judy Thomas, who was the first Artist-in-Residence here last fall and is now assisting Amanda with the program as Art Director, drove up from Richmond on Tuesday morning so she and Amanda could lead me on a hike around the property and show me around. They had found some showy orchids (Galearis spectabilis) in a patch of woods on the property two weeks earlier.

 

Putty root orchid (Aplectrum hyemale)

The Galearis had finished blooming and some flowers were setting seed, but we found several Putty root orchids in the same area of the woods. The soil here seems to be rich in the mycorrhizal fungi that helps native orchids grow and thrive. I wonder what other orchids could be found here?

After our hike, Judy stayed for lunch and we chatted about trails and areas of interest that she had explored during her residency here last October and the workshop she had done here. I too will be offering a workshop, this coming Saturday, so the tips were appreciated.

Judy had planned a three-week trip to the Acadia National Park in Maine for later in the week, and left after lunch to start preparing for that. I planned to go back the next day to sketch the orchid from life, which I did--more on that in the next post.

A Visit to Oak Spring Garden

The Broodmare Barn.

 

On Saturday May 15 our Botanical Artist Society of the National Capital Region (BASNCR) enjoyed a rare treat: a private tour of Oak Spring Gardens in Upperville, VA, the estate of the late Paul and Rachel "Bunny" Mellon. I had contacted the Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF) last year through one of my art students whose sister worked there. 

The garden is only open to the public for one week of the year during Virginia Historic Garden Week, so this was a very special opportunity for us botanical artists to get a glimpse of this lovely garden and unique botanical collection.

I received confirmation the tour would take place as planned during the first days of May. There was a strict limit of ten persons, and once the word went out to BASNCR members, the spaces filled up quickly. One member cancelled at the last minute, so we ended up being just nine.

 

Walking towards the Library.

 

The weather was perfect--we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful spring day! We were met at the Broodmare barn by our guide, Eleanor, one of their dedicated volunteers. Paul Mellon had at one time raised thoroughbreds here, and a statue of his most famous prize-winning horse adorns the courtyard of the barn. The barn is no longer used for its original purpose; it has been remodeled to function as a conference center that includes guestrooms with en-suite bathrooms for conference attendees.

Next stop on our tour was the library, where no photos allowed inside. The director, Tony Willis, had on display some dozen original historical botanical artworks for us. We saw illustrations of Opuntia cactus by Georg Ehret painted on vellum in 1758, a German iris oil on paper by Jean Baptiste Huet dating from 1785, and a beautiful Crown Imperial Fritillary by Johanna Helena Herolt (one of Maria Sybilla Merian's daughters) circa 1721 were a few of those.

 

The library exterior.

The two-story library interior itself was a work of art with an antique marble fireplace, a trompe l'oeil bookshelf with books painted on one wall and other curious furnishings such as a quaint set of large papier mache flowers that could be taken apart to teach the various parts of a flower to botanical students, a naturalist's doll house, and many more.

From there Tony proceeded to show us a very rare folio-sized volume of illustrations by Maria Sybilla Merian, the German artist who is credited with being the first to study insect and plant interactions and metamorphosis. Maria traveled to Dutch Surinam in 1699 to study first hand the plants and insects there and returned to Holland where she published several books of her illustrations. The etchings had been hand-colored by Merian's two surviving daughters--she passed away before the edition was completed in 1719.  We saw ancient herbals: "Hortus Sanitatus" dating from 1511, and another tome circa 1450. 

 

BASNCR members and companions under the arbor.

After touring the library it was time to see the gardens. One enters through a shady arbor of crab apple trees espaliered on a trellis, an iconic feature designed by Mrs. Mellon. The arbor connects the main garden with the "Glass House," a large structure with a central pavilion and two greenhouse wings.

The Glass House

The large expanse of garden is enclosed by the main house with smaller cottages and pavilions to either side. There is a vegetable garden, lawns, and many flower beds punctuated by fountains, reflecting pools, and topiary trees, in a formal arrangement. Informal touches of plants straying from their confines softened the outlines--flowers were allowed to grow in the paths between paving stones here and there.

 

The vegetable garden at Oak Spring

Flower beds.

American holly topiary and flower beds.

Cottage with Iris beds

 

We continued on to the Glass House, where the central pavilion was decorated with trompe l'oeil paintings of cabinets and shelves displaying many of "Bunny" Mellon's favorite objects: her basket collection including a Vietnamese basket gifted by her friend Jackie Kennedy (upper center panel), garden tools, fruits and vegetables. Even the "tiles" on the walls and ceiling are painted.

Trompe l'oeil cabinet doors in the "potting shed"

The actual potting table behind the doors with more trompe l'oeil decorations.

Cabinet doors with trompe 'loeil

The Glass House greenhouse

We were informed that the greenhouses are not used during the summer months, since they are not well-insulated and become too warm.

 

Lilac bush outside the garden.

Family memorabilia: a Monet painting over a fireplace.

 

As we were reaching the end of our two-hour tour, we were led back toward the barn to enter another pavilion housing a collection of family memorabilia and a gift shop, where we were able to choose from a number of souvenirs. What a wonderful ending for an outstanding day!

Bunny Mellon's garden gloves and secateurs.

On Reddish Knob

Looking towards West Virginia from Reddish Knob.

 

Last Sunday I joined the Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS) group on an excursion to Reddish Knob, VA. This is a part of Virginia that I'd never seen before and at 4,101 ft. one of the highest elevation points in the state; the flora in this area and the views promised to be outstanding. 

 

The view south, Shenandoah Mountain.

 

The day was cloudy and cool, and the moment I got on I-81 it started to rain lightly. I had my three-season jacket with me but had opted to leave my rain jacket at home, in order to lighten my backpack--I hoped I wouldn't regret my decision later on. Thankfully the rain stopped by the time I reached the exit at Harrisonburg.

Driving on the back roads through the small towns in this area before finding Briery Branch Road, I skirted around at least a dozen horse and buggy carriages--this is the heart of Mennonite country in Virginia--they were probably heading home from Sunday services. 

 

Old sugar maple (Acer saccharum) trunk

 

Our meeting spot at the Hone Quarry picnic area was by a stream in a rich wood, and we did a bit of botanizing here before driving up to Reddish Knob. Under very large sugar maples, beech, birch and hemlock we found spurred violets (Viola rostata), miterwort (Mitella diphylla) and one very dense growth of one-flowered cancer root (Orobanche uniflora).

Spurred violet (Viola rostata)

Miterwort (Mitella diphylla) among ferns

Cluster of one-flowered cancer root flowers (Orobanche uniflora)

As the name of this species implies, there is only one flower per plant, so this cluster represents many plants growing very close together. The only part of this parasitic plant that grows above ground is the flowering stem. The forest floor elsewhere was thick with sweet white violets, Solomon's seal, Geum, sweet Cicely, Hepatica, ferns, bluets, sedums, wild yam and ebony spleenwort.

 

Wild yams (Dioscoria villosa) in rich woods

 

After we had surveyed this area, we set out as a car caravan to drive up the mountain, pulling out by the side of the fairly narrow road to look at the confabulation of flora on the banks. At our first stop a most remarkable display of Lyre-leaved sage in bloom greeted us, growing among bowman's root, whorled loosestrife, yellow-eyed grass, bracken ferns, mountain laurel and enormously tall plantain-leaved pussytoes.

 

Walk leader Sally Anderson ID's plants on the bank.

Lyre-leaved sage (Salvia lyrata) with plantain-leaved pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia)

Bowmans root (Gilleniua trifoliata) with lyre-leaved sage

Whorled loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia)

Eastern yellow-eyed grass (Hypoxis hirsuta)

There wasn't much space for road traffic to pass by us, and as the last car in line, I could see several cars and trucks piling up on our tail, growing impatient with our pace. We finally reached a place where these could pass us so we could continue at our leisurely pace--I couldn't believe how fast the locals barrel around these curves!

At our next few stops we encountered a number of different arrays of flora on the steep road banks as we climbed: tree-sized pinxter azaleas and lovely dogwoods on the down-sloping bank to our left; starry campion, mountain laurel, wood vetch, violets, Carolina pinks, blueberries and iris on the upward slope to our right.

 

Pinxter azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides)

Bird's foot violet (Viola pedata)

Bank filled with Carolina pinks (Silene carolinana)

Close-up of Carolina pink

Dwarf iris (Iris verna)

 

As we rose, the clouds began to clear, and at times patches of sunlight illuminated the banks. Bird's foot violets, mountain bellwort, blueberries, and deerberries appeared.

 

The higher slopes.

Mountain bellwort (Uvularia puberula)

Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum)

 

At another curve with wider pull-off we walked around a bit and found blueberries and huckleberries, mountain fetterbush, some gaywings, trillium and quite a number of pink lady slipper orchids. These were much smaller than the ones I've seen in Fort Valley but every bit as lovely.

 

Gaywings (Polygala pauciflora)

Mountain fetterbush (Pieris floribunda)

Pink lady slipper orchids (Cypripedium acaule)

Huckleberries (Gaylusia sp.)

As we ascended, it was as if spring were unwinding backwards--the foliage was just emerging at these heights. We stopped briefly at a bend, the intersection with FR 85, and saw a hillside carpeted with interrupted fern just at the stage when the spore-bearing fronds (sporangia) were maturing. I climbed down the steep bank for a closer look.

 

Hillside with interrupted fern (Osmunda claytoniana)

Interrupted fern with sporangia

Close-up of spore-bearing fronds

 

These curious spore-bearing fronds occur not on the underside or edges of the leaves as in many ferns, but in the middle of the fronds, and fall off after they ripen, thence interrupting the frond. After this last stop, it was time to move toward Reddish Knob--it was almost five o'clock. We drove past a couple of lovely stands of wild lupines without stopping.

The last part of the road leading to the knob was very narrow and steep, and began to reveal the incredible views all around. The small parking area at the top was covered in graffitti--college kids from Harrisonburg like to drive up here to party.

 

VNPS group at Reddish Knob

On the way back down, I had to maneuver to allow another car coming up the narrow road to pass--there was no way for either of us to turn around. Then I stopped to photograph the lupines before heading home.

Sundial lupines (Lupinus perennis)