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Karen's Nature Art

@karensnatureart.bsky.social

2.4K followers 970 following 460 posts

Natural science Illustrator who loves prairies and insects and makes art and jewelry that feature them. https://bio.site/karensnatureart

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Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Nov 17

Thought I should introduce myself since I'm new to Bluesky. My background is in scientific illustration/entomology and I funnel all that into producing art that showcases the beauty of the prairie. My favorite media are watercolor, ink, acrylic and polymer clay. Website: www.karensnatureart.com

Karen's Nature Art

paintings, jewelry and calendars inspired by nature

www.karensnatureart.com

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Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · 18h

Finished up a piece for the "Flora-8x8" art exhibit that will be up at the Morton Arboretum in Illinois next month. "Last Dance" was inspired by the changing leaf colors at the Schulenberg Prairie.
#sciart #prairie

Watercolor and ink piece of intertwined sumac and compass plant leaves on a white background. Predominant colors are the muted reds of the sumac and the dried browns and yellowing greens of the compass plant leaves.

Reposted by Karen's Nature Art

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett @crockett.house.gov · 1d

Today we honor the rich history, culture, and resilience of Indigenous communities—past and present.

As we recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, let’s commit to telling the truth about our history, protecting sacred lands, and fighting for justice that includes everyone.

#IndigenousPeoplesDay

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Reposted by Karen's Nature Art

Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 21h

It's Tuesday! Let's go for a virtual hike on the prairie together; discover "Highway Prairie Happiness" tuesdaysinthetallgrass.wordpress.com/2025/10/14/h... #prairie #nativeplants #nature #writing #midwest

Highway Prairie Happiness

“What is done cannot be undone, but at least one can prevent it from happening again.”—Anne Frank ***** Although most of our original Illinois tallgrass prairies have vanished&#82…

tuesdaysinthetallgrass.wordpress.com

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Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · 6d

Thanks so much!

Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · 7d

Had some time to do some plein air sketching while camping at Cedar Hill State Park in Texas...
#sciart #prairie #naturejournal

Photo showing a watercolor sketch of a patch of purple, fuzzy blazing stars lit from the side with the actual plants used as reference.

Photo showing a sketchbook with a rectangular box filled with a watercolor landscape of a fall prairie with hills in the distance and the reference landscape behind it. There's also a pencil sketch of a tarantula at the bottom of the page.

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Reposted by Karen's Nature Art

Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · 7d

It's Tuesday! Let's go for a virtual hike on the prairie together; discover "October Arrives in the Garden and Prairie" tuesdaysinthetallgrass.wordpress.com/2025/10/07/o... #garden #prairie #nativeplants #writers

October Arrives in the Garden and Prairie

“Everywhere she walked the color sang and shouted around her.” —Elizabeth George Speare ***** Welcome, October! On Monday, a full “supermoon” rose, partially obscured …

tuesdaysinthetallgrass.wordpress.com

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Reposted by Karen's Nature Art

Andrew Hipp @andrewlhipp.bsky.social · Sep 1

Speak up now if you care about the benefits of roadless areas for biodiversity, ecosystem services, & wilderness experience!

Proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule: www.regulations.gov/document/FS-...

Comments due 9/19: www.regulations.gov/commenton/FS...

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Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 22

It certainly shouldn't be trained on copyrighted materials

Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 22

Same goes for art...

amy brown (spooky edition) @amybrown.xyz · Aug 22

this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like

Why should I write better when a machine can do it for me?
Because actually no one can do it for you, because your voice is unique among all the people on earth. Siri never petted a horse's neck. Alexa has never been ghosted by the captain of the football team. But you have lived, your heart is beating, you have suffered, and you have something important to say. It's a human's job, to use words, and whatever job you give to a machine, that part of your brain goes dark. Maybe it's worth it when it comes to remembering phone numbers and directions, but when that part of your brain that uses words goes dark, that's a vast area that's very close to your soul. Don't let some internet platform convince you that what you have to say and create isn't worthwhile. Words are the echo of your soul. Honing that echo matters.

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Reposted by Karen's Nature Art

Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · Aug 19

It's Tuesday! Let's go for a virtual hike on the prairie together, discover "Tiny Prairie Puzzle Pieces" tuesdaysinthetallgrass.wordpress.com/2025/08/19/t... #nativeplants #prairie #nature #writers #photography

Tiny Prairie Puzzle Pieces

“Mystery whispered in the grass…at evening on the prairies.” — Sherwood Anderson **** It’s hot. So hot I think my eyelids are sweating. Jeff and I are at Loda Cemetery…

tuesdaysinthetallgrass.wordpress.com

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Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 17

Thanks so much, Leslie!

Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 15

Thanks so much!

Reposted by Karen's Nature Art

Cindy Crosby @phrelanzer.bsky.social · Aug 12

It's Tuesday! Let's go for a virtual hike on the prairie together, discover "Heat, Wind, Rain...August in the Tallgrass" tuesdaysinthetallgrass.wordpress.com/2025/08/12/h... #nativeplants #nature #prairie #writers

Heat, Wind, Rain…August in the Tallgrass

“Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” —Charles Dudley Warner ***** After watching various pop-up storms pass us by this past week, I gave up and …

tuesdaysinthetallgrass.wordpress.com

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Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 12

Thank you so much! Appreciate the encouragement!

Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 11

Understandable-Thank you for sharing it- I enjoyed seeing her discoveries!

Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 11

That's so cool- love to hear that!

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Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 10

Very cool- love it! I've used iNaturalist to document the insects in my half acre yard and am over 600 species so far! It's amazing how much you can discover by visiting the same place over and over... and prairies are awesome with their diversity as I've been discovering.

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Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 9

I'm so happy you're encouraging your kid- we need more bug people out there!

Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 9

Lots of things affect when moths fly- they like humid, warm nights with no wind and the less moonlight, the better. Although, some will show up no matter what- lol

Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 9

Cool- that's a great start! The more native plants you add to your yard, the more insects will come.

Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 9

Thanks! I get frustrated when I can't remember the names and which ones are true prairie moths, hence the labels.

Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 9

Great question! I use my own photos taken from a mothing session, usually at a park or prairie. A session will have several white sheets hanging in trees with various UV bulbs hanging in front of them. We document all the insects that come to the light and upload the observations to iNaturalist.

Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 9

Thanks!

Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 9

Thank you Jennifer!

Karen's Nature Art @karensnatureart.bsky.social · Aug 9

Thanks, Helen! It wasn't until I started looking more closely at the tiny moths that I realized how diverse they really were...