I love the USA cover of Butterlies.
 ’Butterflies’ is being published in the USA by Kane Miller Book Publishers:-www.kanemiller.com
It’s being showcased at the May Book Expo New York, although only released 1st September 2010.
Love you to log in and see the trailer:-
www.youtube.com/user/sgervay
Love this special comment a ‘fan’ wrote on the trailer:-
See the big rip in its wing? Looks like it may have found our milkweed just in time. It seems too tuckered to go much farther.
This photo by Rose.
Underneath the heavy blanket of Winter, signs of Spring begin to stir.
The Robins woke me with their song this morning and I feel hopeful!
Digital collage for Illustration Friday: stir
By: nicole,
on 2/24/2011
Blog: the enchanted easel
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i'm so happy that these are done!!! and, i'm even more excited to ship them off tomorrow to liz so she can hang in them in her baby girl's room:) i am actually pleased with the way these turned out. i love the colors and the concept(s). i hope baby isabelle looks up at them and they make her SMILE:)
liz and i spoke today about doing a piece for her niece miley who LOVES cows! so, i'll be sketching some ideas for that this weekend. super excited for that one as well!:)
BTW~I WILL BE SELLING PRINTS OF THESE IN MY ETSY SHOP NEXT WEEK...STAY TUNED...
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By: Sara Burrier,
on 1/20/2011
Blog: warrior princess dream
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"Lady of the Forest" watercolor & colored pencil
This review comes to you from an avowed Lepidopterphobe (also known as someone who has a fear of butterflies.) But personal irrational fear aside, I could not read this stunning book and let it go without comment.
Summer Birds tells the true story of Maria Sibylla Merian, who was a groundbreaking entomologist in 17th century Germany. The understanding that butterflies and moths are hatched from
Finished designing and constructing this custom Pop-Up book for a client to give to his sweet this past week end.
This page was my favorite as well as the butterfly page:
There are about 10 more pop-up pages to add.
Happy trails,
Petrina
Summer Birds: the Butterflies of Maria Merian by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Maria, a young girl living in Germany during the Middle Ages, disproves the ancient belief that butterflies, frogs and other small creatures spontaneously generate from mud. Maria instead observes their transformations as they change from egg to caterpillar and finally to moth or butterfly. She must study them in secret because others would accuse her of witchcraft for dealing with these insects that they believe are evil. She paints what she sees, documenting the changes and her observations of their lives. Readers will enjoy this marriage of science and art in a picture book format.
Maria can serve as an inspiration for us all. She took a long-standing theory and through her own powers of observation and judgment disproved it. Following her own interests of science and art, Maria was an explorer, a scientist and a discoverer. The author’s note at the end of the book tells readers more of Maria’s story, including what she went on to do as an adult. Charmingly, the picture book remains simple and straight forward, never getting bogged down in the mud.
Paschkis’ art has a folk-art feel that ties it naturally to the time period of the story. Her use of strong, simple lines echoes the simple strength of the writing as well. As a reader, I had expected to see more of Engle’s poetry in evidence here in her first picture book. It was a pleasure to see that she excels at simple storytelling just as much as she does at imagery and poetry.
A powerful combination of art and science, just like Maria, this book is appropriate for ages 5-9.
Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.
Also on:
Summer nights,
Pink skies,
Contented flutterbys.
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(We’re pretty sure.)
I love those blue dots.
Am I the only one who groaned at this week's word? I really try to think outside the box but this word just didn't inspire me at all. I also groaned this morning when my dog decided she had to go out at 5 A.M.! So, I took her out, poured a cup of coffee and sat down to do my entry. This is a simple digital collage embellished with colored pencils.
Wishing you all a butterfly sunrise and a chance to sleep in till at least 7 A.M. Happy Weekend!
By: stephanie,
on 5/4/2010
Blog: sruble.com
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Last year I did a couple of butterfly paintings that were inspired by my trip to a butterfly exhibit at the Museum of Natural History, and my new friend (a Paper Kite butterfly), as seen here:
 Paper Kite Butterfly This is what I wrote about my new butterfly friend last year (on my old blog):
“I’ve seen butterflies and I’ve even been to a butterfly exhibit before, but this time was different. I made a friend! They released new butterflies into the exhibit while we were there, and this little one flew right to my hand, crawled on top of my camera (which made it hard to take pictures – Paul took the one above). She stayed with me until we were ready to leave, when they coaxed her onto a leaf.”
Here’s the first painting I did, obviously inspired by the Paper Kite Butterfly:
 Heart Butterfly We saw so many cool butterflies, but none of them were exactly like the next group I painted (which were inspired by the butterflies at the exhibit, and a tattoo I saw on a girl sitting across from me on the subway):
 Butterfly Swirls When I saw that the prompt for Illustration Friday this week is “cocoon,” I started to wonder what the cocoons of my painted butterflies would look like. Here’s what I came up with:
 Cocoons for my painted butterflies. Sometimes it’s fun to give new life to old ideas!
 The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists by Peter Laufer. Lyons Press, 2009.
We heard about it from our friend Sarah (this Sarah), who correctly supposed it might be interesting to Jane and me. Jane read it first and loved it. Of course, her fascination with butterflies goes way back. I’m about a third of the way through the book and had to stop and jot down some notes. It’s that kind of read. (My favorite kind.)
Peter Laufer is a journalist and the author of several books about serious, even grim topics: Americans in overseas prisons, immigration, the Iraq War. During a Q-and-A period following the publication of his book on the latter, someone asked him what topic he was going to tackle next. Joking, Laufer suggested he might take a break with something less weighty: “butterflies and flowers,” perhaps.
An American ex-pat in Nicaragua saw the exchange on CSPAN and emailed Laufer an invitation to visit her butterfly reserve; she thought it might be a peaceful respite for him. And thus it came about that Laufer’s lighthearted remark became reality: he became interested in butterflies and the lively subcultures they have inspired—the collectors, the breeders, the “butterfly huggers,” even butterfly smugglers.
A few quotes:
Heading down the mountain [after a butterfly-spotting hike] I realize I’ve gone native to a certain extent. It was exactly what Glassberg suggested it would be: a Zen-like moment in the now. Nothing else was going on for me while I was searching for the Golden Hairstreak and spotting the California Sister. There was something pure about not chasing them with a net, just searching and observing. It reminded me of the license plate game my sister and I played while driving with my family across America. Look! There’s one from North Dakota! Rare is valuable, but not vital. If you’re in North Dakota, there’s another and another. But the sightings still can amuse those of us lucky enough to be in touch with the childlike parts of our minds.
The excitement was real. It was impossible not to be seduced by the focus of the moment, the pristine beauty of the rushing Cedar Creek with its towering pines and the burly oaks. The satisfaction of seeing the fluttering rare Golden Hairstreak and the glamorous common California Sister was real. I was an observer in this odd subculture but at the same time an active player delighting in the moment, not just observing as a news reporter.
Another passage quotes a Robert Graves poem:
The erratic-looking flight of the common Cabbage White butterfly can be attributed in part to buffeting from the wind. However, Professor Dudley [of Berkeley] says when researchers fly Cabbage Whites in still air, the erratic patterns do not disappear and are used for defense. “If you swing a net at them and miss, they’ll start doing it faster. That’s an intriguing feature that distinguishes butterflies essentially from all other flying insects, the high degree of erratic, seemingly unpredictable flight.”
That lack of predictable patter
The Clock Monkey is a dynamic YA blog from Argentina and it’s AUSSIE MONTH. Drop into Ella’s site and look around.
Feb 1st: Welcome to The Clock Monkey’s Aussie Month! (Introductory Post)
Feb 5th: Blogger Interview: Holly Taylor
Feb 7th: Book Review: Tomorrow, When The War Began, by John Marsden (EBook Giveaway)
Feb 9th: Aussie Author Challenge
Feb 12th: Author Interview: Goldie Alexander
Feb 13th: Author Interview: Ryan Kennedy & Hazel Edwards
Feb 14th: Happy Birthday Pretty Book! (Aussie Edition)
Feb 16th: Blogger Interview: Steph Bowe
Feb 18th: Author Interview: Chrissie Michaels
Feb 20th: Author Interview: George Ivanoff (Book Giveaway for Gamers’ Quest – International)
Feb 23rd: Book Review: That’s Why I Wrote This Song, by Susanne Gervay (Lyrics by Tory Gervay) *Updated: Book Giveaway – International*
Feb 25th: Featured Author: Meryl B. Tobin (Review by Chrissie Michaels; Poem by Meryl B. Tobin)
My heart fluttered to the point of bursting. That's when I remembered to open the escape hatch to let my feelings fly free.
For Illustration Friday's prompt: hatch Digital collage printed and scanned, colored pencil enhancement
There's something about migration that fascinates me. When I lived in Pacific Grove, California, the Monarch butterflies would arrive each October. I always wondered why they chose such a chilly, foggy place to live while trying to elude a harsh winter. They'd look like one long orange ribbon flying in the breeze when the sun was out, and when the cool fog settled in they'd huddle in long clustered rows for warmth and comfort from the wind. In a way I've migrated back to my home ground, too. And instead of the balmy escape of a cold winter, I found myself flying back to roost in familiar surroundings ready to be embraced by autumn colors and the icy kiss of a long, cold season.
(Digital collage this week, no time for painting. Thanks for stopping by!)
You'd think with all these blooms and butterflies, we'd have tons of hummingbirds, too. So far, we've changed nectar, changed feeders, and changed locations, twice. Still nothing. Oh, they're flitting all around us; in the bushes; in the flowers; we even spotted one investigating the garage! Any suggestions?
Crepe Myrtle
Moving Hummingbird feeder...again
Maybe this spot will work!
My favorite butterfly bush.
If you look real close, you'll see him peeking out from behind the elephant ears! And, before you ask, HE has the green thumb, not moi.
Coming Soon! Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle
How many times have you read The Very Hungry Caterpillar aloud?
It’s got to be in the hundreds for me. Seems like every single one of my kids has had a time when that book was the favorite above all others.
But in all these years, I’ve never actually seen a real caterpillar egg—until now.
Can you see it? The little white dot on the underside of the leaf, quite near the stem. I watched the butterfly lay this egg and immediately afterward I ran inside for the camera, so this photo was taken no more than two minutes into the egg’s existence.
I hope the other caterpillars don’t eat that leaf. They are munching away and growing quite fat. We’ve counted up to eleven at one time but it’s likely we’re missing a good many. Counting callerpidders has become Rilla’s favorite thing to do. Mine too!
Butterfly watch: two monarchs, a tiger swallowtail, several painted ladies, and assorted sulphurs and cabbage whites. Also a possible viceroy sighting but Jane, my resident expert, wasn’t there to confirm.
As for our blue flower…Jenn, I was sure it was a cornflower too, but the rest of them are coming up—
pink!
(The color’s a bit washed out in this photo. The flower is really a soft shade of pale pink. Hmm….)
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Holly is the head of SCBWI Japan and I am co-head of SCBWI Australia & New Zealand
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What a great experience that was! Thanks for sharing, and for joining STEM Friday this week!
I love this book. It's got lots of good science in it... even if it isn't strictly a nonfiction book. Sandra Markle is a wonderful writer.