A Photograph, an Illustration, and a Shared Love of Wildlife

About a year and a half ago, an illustrator contacted me to ask permission to use one of my photos as a reference for an illustration in an upcoming book. In exchange, we agreed I would receive copies of the finished book. The photo was one I had taken of baby Carolina wrens I was raising under the license of the Ark Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in St. Augustine, Florida. He had discovered the image through a blog post I had written.

Yesterday, I was thrilled to receive two copies of The Weedy Garden, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl. I love Billy Renkl’s beautiful illustration of the wrens, but I especially appreciate the theme of the book itself — how much wildlife benefits from native plants and “weedy” gardens. It feels especially meaningful to have an illustration based on one of my photos included in a book that celebrates the value of creating habitat for wildlife.

Billy also included a copy of The Comfort of Crows, also written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl. I’m looking forward to reading it.

Moments like this remind me how photography can help tell the story of why native habitats matter.

I’m using my photos as references for felting projects. I photographed this beautiful pronghorn in Custer State Park in South Dakota. Today, I completed a felting based on the photo.