And the wind, full of wantonness,
wooes like lover
The young aspen-trees till they
tremble all over.

- Thomas Moore (From Trees of America)

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on July 30, 2010

From the book:

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I or you:
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind it passing thro’.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.

Christina G. Rossetti

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on July 26, 2010

“Red List protects nature” - The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, founded in 1948, is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.

“Protect birds - they are doctors of the forest”

“Cut down one - plant ten”

“Welcome, my feathered friends!”

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on June 25, 2010

Signe Parsegel land art.

Forest Art Wisconsin.

Michel de Broin “Superficial”

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on May 18, 2010

Located on the Rockaway Peninsula Brooklyn, NY, Fort Tilden is mostly a natual area that was a former United States Army installation.  Fort Tilden today is largely a natural area of beach, dunes and maritime forest. Most of the old military installations are abandoned, though some buildings have been renovated and are used by local arts groups. Atop one of the old batteries, Battery Harris East, is a viewing platform offering 360-degree views.  Fort Tilden includes some of the most secluded beaches in New York.

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on April 19, 2010

Brooklyn Bridge Park is an 85-acre park currently under construction on the Brooklyn waterfront in the vicinity of the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. As of March 22, 2010 the first newly built section of the park, Pier 1, has been open to the public. !!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on March 30, 2010

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on February 05, 2010

Ivan Shishkin. Winter. 1890.  Oil on canvas.

(Winter, detail with bird)

Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin born in 1832,  was a Russian painter who is known for his realistic forest landscapes, paintings of wildlife, grasses and especially pine trees. I like the tiny details in his paintings. Click on the images to see in full resolution.

Ivan Shishkin. The Rye Field, 1878. Oil on Canvas,

(The Rye Field, detail with grasses)

(The Rye Field, detail with birds)

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on January 19, 2010

TREE
Graphite on panel, 2007
18” x 24”

WINTER TREE
Graphite on panel, 2007
18” x 24”

- By Anastasia Ugorskaya

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on December 30, 2009

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on December 18, 2009

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on September 13, 2009

Brunonia Serica
Ferdinand Bauer
1760-1826
from Floral Illustrations of New Holland

Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
15th or 16th century
Gouache on vellum

From Vienna Dioscorides



From Vienna Dioscorides



Botanical Illustration from Codex Anicia Juliana, AD 512

From Vienna Dioscorides



Banksia coccinea (Scarlet Banksia)
Ferdinand Bauer
Illustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae
Early 19th century



Adele Morosini Rossetti (for Botanic Garden)
Rosa Abraham Darby
Watercolor , color pencil, tempera on paper




California flowering plant





California snow flower

Peruvian flowering cactus

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on September 05, 2009

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on September 04, 2009

Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh was founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants.  Nearly 34,000 plants are grown at the Botanic Garden in Edinburgh and its three smaller offshoots located in other parts of Scotland.  These represent nearly 17,000 different species from all over the world, or about 7% of all known plant species.  I was surprised to see so many species of plants at the same time!

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on May 29, 2009

Pando is a clonal colony of a single male Quaking Aspen located in the state of Utah, U.S.  All trees in Pando colony are determined to be part of a single living organism with same genetic material and one massive underground root system. The plant is estimated to weigh collectively 6,000 tonnes making it the heaviest known organism and with the oldest root system known in existence at ~80,000 years of age.

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on April 23, 2009

Kusamono and shitakusa are a potted collection of plants. Plants used are typically moss, grass, lichen, small mountain flowers and plants, bonsai trees, bamboo, or bulbs, that may be arranged to heighten the beauty or reflect a certain season.  Usually a collection is displayed separately in special pots, driftwood, or even stones. Photos from beautiful blogs: Shitakusamono and Happy Hearts at Home.

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on April 22, 2009

       

Terraskin,  Via Stone and Fiberstone are tree-free papers made of minerals.  Stone paper is similar to traditional papers only it has a lot of advantages. When it comes to printing Via Stone paper uses 20-30% less ink than conventional papers.  Stone paper can be water-resistant, tear-resistant, recyclable and biodegradable.  No water or bleach can be used in its production as well!

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on April 21, 2009

Two day hundred mile bike ride from New York to Lake Purdy and back.

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on

Sycamore is one of the species of Platanus native to North America. It has been extensively planted in New York City as a shade tree. It can easily endure the big city environment, bears transplanting well and grows rapidly.

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on April 13, 2009

*Above: Trees in Prospect Park

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on

Above:The Unicorn is Penned, the Unicorn Tapestries,
circa 1495–1505,
the Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York City



Above: Woodpecker
1885
by William Morris

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on April 01, 2009

I love these beautiful nature inspired wallpaper designs by William Morris.  William Morris was an English architect, furniture and textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement.  The Arts and Crafts Movement was a British, Canadian, and American aesthetic movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries that influenced arts, crafts and architecture. The Arts and Crafts Movement was inspired by the writings of John Ruskin and a romantic idealization of a craftsperson taking pride in their personal handiwork. The movement was a reaction to the eclectic revival of historic styles of the Victorian era and to “soulless” machine-made production aided by the Industrial Revolution.

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on March 29, 2009

Really cute tree and nature inspired stackable ceramic cups by Chris Koens!

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on March 21, 2009

I love Charley Harper’s print, The Desert. 

Posted by DESIGN SQUISH on March 15, 2009