I drew this in colored pencil when I moved to Camano Island. It shows many of the plants and animals  encountered at Rocky Point Gardens, and on the five acres at Tara Lane off West Camano Drive. Many years later I found a perfect canvas, so I painted the Pentagram in acrylics.

In the upper left, you see Otto, my nighthawk. You can read his story on another page. Move clockwise to the coyote, who used to visit here often and who made a big return last summer. Check out my new website <http://www.erratica.me&gt; where coyotes have top billing.

Then the eagle, in pride of place at the top of the painting under the sun and constellations. I originally bonded with eagles when I was driving in horrendous traffic on I-520, trying to merge onto I-405 going north to return to my condominium in Redmond.

I was miserable, merging right, going about twenty mph, when an eagle flew parallel with my car, turned his head and looked me straight in the eye, a harbinger of my future in the North Country.

Moving clockwise, we see a robin with her worm, underneath the moon, amongst ornamental strawberries. Inside the peak of the pentagram is a leaf-hopper. He comes in all colors from bronze to green.

Underneath the hopper is a glorious moth, symbolizing all moths and butterflies. One of my main goals is to be overrun with butterflies.

Clockwise again, we meet the saw-whet owl. I told this story on Kristin’s Camano, but I will tell you again. One day my eldest son Nik went out for firewood. I heard him say, “Oh, my God!” so I hurried out. There, on the ground, behind the sliding glass door into our shed, was a tiny owl. He was staring through the glass hopelessly.

I went in to see if I could shoo him out, but he flew up onto a shelf and immediately fell asleep. We left the door wide open, but I went out that night with my flashlight and camera, just in case.

He was still there, so I took a photo, then went inside, talking to him, but he just looked at me with huge eyes. So I touched his tail. That’s all it took for him to return to the forest.

Next there is a sprig of red flowers of native red currant, then we see a mole out of the ground. These fellows are everywhere, making lumps of soil in the middle of a carefully constructed gravel path, but are rarely seen.

Beneath the mole is the spider I told you about in my second post.

To the spider’s right is my buddy the Chickaree, or the Douglas fir squirrel. Smaller than a gray squirrel, he’s native, looks like a wind-up toy, and sounds like one, too. He squeaks repeatedly while hanging from his heels on a Douglas fir, or assaults you with a high pitched squeal of protest. He’s brown, and wears a yellow “waistcoat”.

Above to the right is Point Pernell, extending from Whidbey Island, easily seen from the roof at RPG in the summertime, with a Great Blue Heron hunting in the shallows.

Beneath the squirrel is my favorite, California red-bellied newt. I go on and on about them on <erratica.me> Moving left, the crayfish used to live in the ditch by Rocky Point Gardens, and may still.

At the lower center is that red velvet dragon fly who started this conversation when she landed on my knee. Notice the Periwinkle near the bottom, next to the Water Wiver (?), big Tadpole, then Pacific Chorus Frog. His enemy the Raccoon is on the other side of the creek.

Above the raccoon see my White Rabbit. I tell all about the Rabbit at <kristinscamano>, set against the Stillaguamish River with Fidalgo Island on the horizon, a lace-winged fly drifting in the sunset.

Left of center of the Pentagram is my Flicker, also known as the Red-Shafted Flicker. She shows her  white underpants when she flies away, which is often because, like all woodpeckers, she’s very shy.

Shy like the charming but infamous Deermouse with buttercups at her feet. Next to the Raccoon is Columbine, then Cattails/Bullrushes, and at the far left Fireweed in bloom.

In the center of the painting is a spiral galaxy, because we are all stardust.