Page one of my zine about carnivorous plants and wetland ecology. A Venus flytrap sits in a pink pot with a dog collar on it reading "Fido", but spelled p h y d e a x. I can't believe I've gotten this far without realizing I left out the u that was in my cat's name, to have an ending like bordeaux. All this time. Sigh. It stays. Anyway, bright and sunny light framed by a blue window curtain with yellow polka dots, and purple carpet. Pen and ink on Bristol paper, with colored pencil, altered just a tad digitally. The added words read: Ah, Dionaea muscipula, the Venus flytrap. One of the most delightful plants one could ever meet. Leaves reach out with blushing traps open like baby birds in a nest, rewarding you with a toothy grin when you offer a snack. They seem more like pets than plants, with just enough darkness to be exciting, and enough science to be fascinating. But, why do they eat? Is it really like eating? Is it only simple bloodthirst? Or something more?

A two page comparison of my page on Photosynthesis. A venus flytrap rests in moss, microscopic cross sections showing the cellular structures related to photosynthesis. These are the background images without text included. The online zine currently features art with me playing around digitally until I get the final artwork scanned in for some kind of graphic novel looking thing.

The pores the leaves breathe through, called stomata, of a venus flytrap leaf behind a green bottle fly perched on a hungry trap. Pen and ink with colored pencil. Buncha green with a splash of red on the fly eyes and peeking through the teeth of the trap.

The reference pic I used for the stomata illustration. That fly didn't make it.