Our Geese Love to Vocalize! Florida Permaculture

 Our permaculture geese love to vocalize!!!

Alligator Springs Afternoon

 40" x 10" glicée on aluminum, neo-realistic vector, Alligator Springs lazy afternoon.

Alligator Springs Afternoon by Kevin Songer, #NFT #natureart

Bioacoustics, Rainy Morning Blue Jay Squabble

 Two minute clip of Blue Jays, Cyanocitta cristata, fussing over foraging territory with other birds and squirrels.

Sony recorder, Lom Mikro Usi, Windbubbles & a dry bag. 

Life and the Mangrove Estuary, Nature Art by Kevin Songer

 Although I started this work five years ago I refine and add to it most times when I return to the art.  This is because of my ever evolving world view and because each day I learn more and more of the ways of nature.

Life  Beginnings in the Mangrove Swamps

The work features the bed of sea water and mangrove leaves which themselves represent an ecosystem unmatched in life biodiversity, one even home to the snapping shrimp.  The snapping shrimp though such a small creature, is one of the loudest life forms found in the ocean.

This art piece also features symbols of human thoughts about life, those from different cultures throughout the world and time. Nature Art therapy has provide an invaluable benefit to my healing from aortic dissection and kidney cancer.

This image is also one of my first few NFTs I am uploading to Rarible.

So much to see and think about in nature.

Dune Gopher Tortoise, Railroad Vines and Beach Wildflowers

 Sketch of one of my favorite dune reptiles, the Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus.

Dune Gopher Tortoise and Railroad Vine

Working with nature, native plants and wildlife has healed many of my aortic dissection problems.  Nature art and art therapy focused on native plants and wildlife is such a great healing modality.

Native Plant Art, Nature Art Therapy & Red Mulberry, Morus rubra

Mulberry is an outstanding native landscape plant, contributing benefit to birds, wildlife and humans alike.

Nature Art, Kevin Songer

Here is part of a torch and black gum pallet work I did featuring red mulberry along with the Eyes of Providence and more.  I see the Eyes of Providence representing all the songbirds waiting for Morus to fruit their so sweet and delicious berries.

Art therapy has become such a powerful healing tool in my health management repertoire.

Bioacoustics, Under Southern Magnolia During a Rainstorm

 Under the Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora rain drops quietly to the brown carpet of large leaves.

Above, as towering cathedral arches, branches reach out then bow downward forming a magnificent shelter from the weather.

I find the rain audio is much gentler, more soft under the magnolia than below the Yaupon holly, Ilex vomitoria I recorded beneath the other day.

Enjoy 45 minutes of a soft rain while imagining you are resting under the evergreen giant.

Sony PCM M10, Clippy 272 stereo mics & wind bubbles.

Wildflower Diversity, Gaillardia pulchella lbgqt

 Gaillardia pulchella lbgqt Gaillardia is of the most diverse of native wildflowers and I've seen so many colors, forms, shapes and sizes.

Diversity in Wildflowers, Gaillardia pulchella

Diversity in Wildflowers, Gaillardia pulchella

Here is an original Gaillardia linocut press with rainbow colors added. Will be framing soon as acrylic pigment dries. 4" x 4" Cranfield black ink press on archival paper with acrylic pigment added. Yellow & Green background represent blended totality of sun and earth.

Bioacoustics, A Brisk Wind and Spanish Moss, Tillandsia usneoides

Tillandsia usneoides is also known as Spanish Moss and is found frequently here across Florida and the South.

I placed a stereo set of Piezo microphones inside the moss during a brisk (4 or 5 m/s) wind to record vibrations of the moss rustling in the wind.

The friction or rubbing noises may be from vibrations created by the Spanish moss rubbing against the tree branches in the wind.

Seemingly, the wind audio also creates a doppler effect that the piezo mic picks up.

Native Plant Art, Block Print Archival Ink Behavior

Interesting note about Cranfield block print / linocut ink.

Native Plant Art, Gold Monotype and Black Linocut Combination

An archival quality linocut ink dries upon interaction with paper but does not dry very quickly, if at all when applied to another pigment surface. Here I did a two part artwork of the Florida native plant, saw palmetto, Serenoa repens, where the first ink layer (gold) was applied directly to the paper.

Archival Block Print Ink Dries Best When Applied to Paper

The gold ink was absorbed into the fibers and did set. The black ink however was applied over the gold, monotype layer and did not interact with the fibers. Nine months later I went to frame the piece and the black ink smudged the mat. None of this info is very dramatic, just random info on ink and drying. However, one can add a drying fluid or, as I usually do, just apply a fixative spray after a month or so of air drying.

Bioacoustics, Fakahatchee Strand Alligator Mating Calls

Alligator mating call in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve.

We were hiking way back in the swamps around sunset when we came across a larger pond full of alligators.

Many were exhibiting mating behavior including loud vocalizations.

Florida Wildflowers, Original Block Print Presses

I've been framing up some of my 4" Florida wildflower block prints with color pigment added over the Cranfield black ink.

Framing Florida Wildflower Ink Presses

Here are three original presses; 2 Gaillardia pulchella and a Passiflora incarnata.

Gaillardia, Original Florida Wildflower Block Print

They are all available (60 each plus shipping), just PM or email me at here.

Gaillardia, Original Florida Wildflower Block Print

Florida native plants and wildflower nature art are my path to physical and mental health, all the while creating awareness about Florida's native ecosystems.

Passiflora, Original Florida Wildflower Block Print

Bioacoustics, Night Sounds in a Florida Coastal Wet Flatwoods Ecosystem

Night audio,11:30 pm to 12:30 am in the wet coastal flatwoods dominated by sawgrass, saw palmetto and pine. This Florida habitat is not a quiet place when the sun goes down.

Owls, raccoons, frogs (vocalizing and jumping into the water) and wading birds all in chorus in together. The background levels of 'noise' on my recorder were red lining most of the night even with the gain (volume) turned down.

This recording is part of an overnight recording from sunset Feb. 23, 2021 to morning Feb. 24. The recorder was attached to a tree in the cover photo and stereo omni micro mics with wind covers placed on opposing sides of the tree.

Audio calls and sounds vary by the hour, especially in the transition times around sunset and sunrise. This is the world in which I am so attracted to, raw nature filled with textures, colors and sounds.

Listening to the languages of nature inspires and heals. This clip is approximately one hour. I'll be posting other night recordings from this trip as I can process them.

Native plants provide host to an amazing world.

Sony PCM M10, Clippy 272 mics, windbubbles and a dry bag.

Bioacoustics, Steady Rain in Slash Pine Flatwoods (Pinus elliottii)

Here is another nature audio recording, this time of a steady but gentle rain in the open slash pine, Pinus elliottii, flatwoods.  

I've found there are a lot of differences in the way raindrops sound depending upon the types of leaf litter the raindrops strike.  For example, the soft sounds of rain falling upon pine needles is in contrast to the sharper striking of raindrops on dried Southern Magnolia leaves, Magnolia grandiflora.

The sounds of a morning rain on slash pine needles relaxes my body and 'washes' away any stress I may be carrying.  As a boy growing up in South Florida I used to climb the small treehouse platform in our backyard oak tree and sit in the rain.  There is just something soothing in those raindrops.

Another interesting tidbit I am learning as I experience nature sounds in addition to those colors and textures and scents I usually notice is that there are two types of 'foreign' noises I can hear regardless of how far out into the swamp or forest I am; the low frequency hum of far off automobile engines (airplanes too) carrying across the tree tops and also the noisy clicking of my mechanical aortic heart valve (no escaping that one).  

Enjoy the hour long rain event across soft beds of slash pine needles!  Sony PCM recorder in dry bag with a set of omni stereo lav mics wrapped in windbubbles. P.S. I am sold on the protective qualities of good lav mic covers such as the windbubbles.  To date my mics have stayed relatively dry with no rain damage even in prolonged rain events as long as they are covered with a good type of windbubbles.  To dry the windbubbles out after a spell in the storm I lay them on a folded up paper towel on my desk.  The paper wicks away the water and overnight they are dry and ready to go.  This too is a good way to discern the quality of your windbubbles for a good pair will not stain the paper towel with color dye.

Enjoy the sounds of rain in the Flatwoods!

Florida Wildflower Nature Art, Gaillardia pulchella Mandala

 Gaillardia pulchella, also known as 'blanketflower' is an aster family member frequently seen growing across roadsides, fields and vacant lots.  Here is my rendition of a Gaillardia Celtic Cross, on an aluminum disk.

Gaillardia pulchella Celtic Cross

Bioacoustics; Raindrops and an Yaupon Holly Tree, Nature Sounds

 Enjoy this recording of early morning raindrops and bird songs in a Yaupon Holly tree, Ilex vomitoria. Sony PCM M10 and Clippy 272 mics.

Language of Nature & Humans Intertwined. Wind, Rain and Wind Chimes.

Here is a recording of the wind and rain in front of an approaching storm with the wind playing against a set of hanging wind chimes.  Sony PMC M10, Clippy 272 mics and windbubbles.

Recorder Drop Bag and Mics Set in PInes to Capture Sounds of Approaching Storm

 A cold front is pushing its way through the North Florida area and will bring with it winds and rain.  We are under a tornado watch.

Sony PCM M10  in waterproof drop bag attached to an understory tree among tall slash pines

I though the weather would create interesting recordings and set up a drop bag in the middle of an open area under a group of really tall slash pine.

The sounds of wind through pine needles and rain reduce my stress and replace any anxiety I might have with a sense of belonging, wellness and security.

R stereo Clippy mic with windbubble

L stereo Clippy mic with windbubble

Ellie Mae loves the rain too and she is snuggled up on the loveseat in between several warm pillows.

The drop rig is made up of an older Sony PCM M10 recorder, a pair of micro Clippy stereo omnidirectional microphones with windbubbles and a waterproof bag, all assembled together and attached to an understory tree in the pine grove.

Can't wait to hear the storm sounds! 

Bioacoustics, Nature Art and Light Drizzling Raindrops on Waterlilies; Piezo Mics

 Piezo hydrophone mic recordings of a light drizzling rain across littoral zone of a pond with waterlilies using a drop bag containing Sony recorder and stereo piezo hydrophone mics. 

The piezo mics open up new dimensions of nature sound for me as they measure audio vibrations that are travelling through the water and plant material rather than through the air, giving me a perspective of what the native fragrant waterlily Nymphaea odorata is experiencing.

Nature and native plant art therapy have been immensely successful tools in my PTSD management.  I also hope that by spreading awareness of native plants that these awareness efforts bring increased conservation and protection actions by all.

Bioacoustics, Pinus Vibrations in the Wind

Placed a stereo piezo microphone into a lightning caused Pinus elliottii crevice during a windy day to record vibrations.  Mic was not exposed to wind.

Recording suggests the 'whistling' sounds made by wind blowing through the pine needles travels down through the tree.

I find noises and vibrations plants experience to be enlightening and inspiring.