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This is my favorite page spread in the journal. Karen had told me months ago about the giant cow parsnips she'd found last year. Flower books will tell you that the plants can grow 4 to 9 feet, but until you stand next to them you don't really have a sense of what that is like. At McKenzie Creek Wildlife area there is a whole clearing filled with these tall plants. Their stems are hollow and when the plant dies the stalks remain standing and dry to a woody beige color.
I was looking slightly up as I drew these plants, so the portions I drew are just above my height of 5 feet 2.5 inches. (Though last week at the doctor's office they measured me at 5 feet 3.5 inches I think that's an error. You don't gain an inch at this point of your life; especially in stocking feet.) Still you get the idea. I think it's cool the way the leaves grow out of the stem and wrap around the stem in a sort of balloon, before branching out into a serrated edged leaf. I found that part of the plant more interesting than the many small flowerettes that appear at the tops of the long stems. I'd never have the patience to draw those! I would like to do a series of sketches of the cow parsnip with the dip pen. Then you could capture all the minute hairs and get some line variation in the veining. To appreciate the scale of these plants see Karen's sketch. |
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Illustration © 2004 Roz Stendahl; All Rights Reserved |