From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud pied April dress’d in all his trim
Hath put a spirit of youth in every thing,
That heavy Saturn laugh’d and leap’d with him.
Yet nor the lays of birds nor the sweet smell
Of different flowers in odour and in hue
Could make me any summer’s story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew;
Nor did I wonder at the lily’s white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight,
Drawn after you, you pattern of all those.
Yet seem’d it winter still, and, you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.
— Shakespeare’s Sonnet #98
This sonnet shows how Shakespeare misses being a young man.
A bit of spring — oh I will rewind — a whole bunch of Spring on my mind today. A sure sign that Spring has arrived (even though we still have feet of snow at our doorstep) is that I started fertilizing my houseplants last week and now I am getting ready to identify our 2000 trees that we have on our lot… We have tried keeping as many trees as we can since we building here… took out the ones where our house is, and that’s it! Nowhere else. My problem with the identification process is that I would like to tag the trees as I slowly identify them… but with what? Does anyone have any suggestions? Something that would stay permanently and does not cost too much?
The best time to identify trees is during early Spring, just as the buds open and this page acts as a quick reminder of what each tree twig looks like. I will do another set at some point in time. Hope that you liked this!
Moleskine Sketchbook #24 5.5″ x 8.5″
Fountain Pen: Pilot Falcon SEF
Ink: De Atramentis Document Black
Watercolours: DS Q. Gold, B. Sienna, Burnt Umber, Pyrrol Scarlet, Cerulean Chromium
Painting to see : Peindre pour voir 
I enjoyed reading thiis
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Jane; Loved reading LES Rameaux. I always look forward to reading the different texts you send – smart kid, you are. MOM >
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Dear Jane: You’re a smart young lady, Jane, highly talented with a mind full of fresh ideas. Don’t ever give up your dreams, stay as you re, smart and clever. MOM >
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And i neglected to say that your watercolors of the twigs are both exceptionally accurate and beautiful. Keep up the identification quest. its a wonderful project.
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Thank you Holly — do you live in a forest environment too?
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old farm land much of which has grown back to woods
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Very cool -)
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Trees grow. They either “swallow” or shed any tag you might put on them. I have come to believe that the best course is to map them with coordinates and label them on the map or perhaps use a number system and a list. If it is important to have a label in the field then you will have to do a yearly resetting of those labels whether they be in the ground at the base of the tree, on a branch or most dangerously pinned to the trunk.The last is most dangerous because those labels tend to be left until the tree grows over them deforming the tree and occassionally embedding a future bit of shrapnel.
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You are right — trees do swallow elements in their path. Wow! You seem to have experience in this Holly and your idea about mapping or tagging at the foot of the tree is very nice. Thank you!
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My daughter and I also have a piece of land with many beautiful trees, woods, and hedgerows. And we have taken joy in planting more species native to the area..
I love your twig drawings.They are so descriptive.
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Beautiful !
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Thank you Alain Marie — bien apprécié -)
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Wonderful sketches.
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Thanks Englepip — I know that nature inspires you too!
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I love your twig sketches! Inspiring! 🌿
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Hi JoAnn — thank you and I am really glad that you like them! The are propulsing us into spring, huh?
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