This botanical portrait series is a celebration of native flora, plants worthy of our attention not only for their beauty, but for their vital role in responding to our mounting environmental challenges. Inspired by historical botanical illustrations, particularly Basilius Besler's 17th-century Hortus Eystettensis, I portray these plants as both scientific specimens and objects of wonder, continuing a naturalist tradition where precision serves both knowledge and reverence.

Following the 2020 Walbridge Fire that burned the land around our home, I was unexpectedly immersed in post-fire recovery work and, fascinatingly, the silent war between invasive and native species. As they battled for territory in the burn scar and beyond, I came to appreciate this war's growing stakes and the surprisingly accessible role I could play in nudging things in the right direction locally.

Each portrait shows a specimen I was able to find within a few-minutes walk from our house, sustainably harvest, and photograph immediately. This series is a reminder that nature's most powerful forces often work through its smallest elements, and that solutions don't always need to be invented from scratch—just recognized and leveraged more fully.

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