Bird's Nest, Wild Carrot

Birds_nest_sketchWinter brings many curious shapes and textures, not just in the lovely arrangement of tree limbs against a silver grey sky, but also in the tangled spent shells of plants long past the greens of summer.  Close to one's feet are the delicate star-bursts of Queen Anne's Lace. Curled into a bird's nest, the netting of stalks protect the seeds from inclement weather. On finer days, or when, in this case, brought into the house to draw, the nest relaxes and unfurls into a dainty display of stars birthing into their own space. Considered a weed, this herb not only has healing qualities but is also the Grandmother, the Abuela, the Oma, the Obaasan of what is our carrot today. Something to think twice about before yanking her from the ground without a thank-you.