Bees

 Another endangered species, the bee, the pollinator of plants that we eat to exist

 According to Friends of the Earth - Since 1900, the UK has lost 13 species of bee, and a further 35 are considered under threat of extinction. None are protected by law. Across Europe nearly 1 in 10 wild bee species face extinction.

Causes of bee decline include habitat loss - less forage and shelter, climate change, pesticides, pests and disease, and invasive species.

Crook Hall

 

My entry for Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge

My entry for Which Way Photo Challenge

Bolam Lake

 My entry for Thursday TreeLove

Giant Otter and Orangutan

 More endangered species

Giant Otter - the main threats to this lovely animal are habitat degradation, river contamination due to mining and agriculture, over harvesting of fish and hunting for it's skin.

Orangutan - numbers have declined rapidly since the middle of the 20th century due to human activities. These include hunting, unsustainable and often illegal logging, mining and conversion of forests to agriculture.

Watercolour and fine liner

It's Friday Face Off

Vaquita

I'd not heard of this animal until I was doing research into endangered species.

They are the most endangered marine animal in the world. 

According to the Marine Mammal Centre 

Vaquitas are only found in the shallow waters of the northern Gulf of California, Mexico. This area is abundant in fish and shrimp, and many people depend on fishing for their livelihood. Most fishers in the area, whether they are legally catching fish and shrimp or illegally fishing for totoaba, use a type of net called a gillnet. Gillnets are the primary reason for the vaquita’s decline.

The Environmental Investigation Agency

The vaquita is not hunted in its own right – it is collateral damage, killed accidentally in the illegal gillnets set primarily for totoaba fish, the dried swim bladders, or maw, of which are highly sought-after in China.

 

They drown because they get tangled in the nets!

Poison Dart Frogs

 I'm continuing with my endangered species book and this time I have chosen frogs. They are very small but can be deadly.

This golden poison frog is only two inches in size but has enough venom to kill ten grown men.

It's Friday so that means it is Friday Face Off

Time for Tea

 A couple of daft digital doodles

 

SR- New Year Challenge - Days 4 and 5

Day 4 - Inspiration Words - House + Fly

Watercolour

Day 5 -  Multi Curved Shape + Animal/Fantasy Creature

using Ink & Watercolour

I'm joining Friday Face Off this week

 
 

Thursday TreeLOve 139

My tree for Thursday TreeLove was seen at Jervaulx Abbey in December.

 

Hyacinths

My entry for Cee's Flower of the Day

 

SR - New Year Challenge

I've joined in with the Sketchbook Revival Happy New Year Challenge - 5 Days

Day 2 - Rabbit and Flowers / Watercolour

Day 1 - Rounded Shape /Ink

We were given a shape to use with I copied and then did it digitally and quickly because I didn't have much time

Day 3 - Curvy Shape /Ink

I painted it with watercolours before I remembered that it was an ink challenge so I drew over the lines with ink using a bamboo pen. My original outline was drawn with a liner pen.

This is the shape we were to use.

The bamboo pen and bottle of ink.

Golden Pear Decorations

I made quite a few of these pear decorations before Christmas for gifts but I forgot to take photos of them.

I used an old faux leather jacket which I spray painted with gold paint for the front and back. On the front I used some metallic type organza, green and orange sewn on with gold threads. Gold braid was stitched on down the centre. A thicker gold thread was used to stitch front to back and also the leaf. The pear was slightly stuffed before closing up. I used the ends of the threads to add a few straggly bits at the bottom as stamens. The stalk was a small piece of faux leather rolled up. I included gold thread for hanging.

.