Anne Morley's Penstemons

2/23/2001

On a recent Tuesday I lunched with Swan Lake botanist, illustrator and naturalist Anne Morley at ShowThyme Restaurant in Bigfork. Every Tuesday ShowThyme donates their lunch income to the Swan River Nature Trail fund. What better place to interview this woman who has such a deep affinity for the natural world. I wanted to discuss AnneÕs illustrations in the book "Northwest Penstemons," by Dee Strickler, but we ended up talking about much more--about educating our children, raising public awareness of the environment, and the importance of seeing.

P.Lyallii

Anne's meticulous line drawings beautifully capture the essence of the many species of Penstemon. It's obvious that she knows her subjects well. She has a degree in botany from the University of Montana and studied biological illustration at UCLA. In 1975 she and her husband moved to the tiny community of Swan Lake, where they raised their children, and in 1985 she and Maria Mantas co-founded the Flathead Valley chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society. Come spring youÕll find Anne leading botanical nature hikes in the mountains of northwest Montana.

Anne met Dee Strickler through the Native Plant Society. When his daughter, who normally illustrates his work, was unavailable, Dr. Strickler contacted Anne and made arrangements for her to illustrate his field guide to northwest Penstemons. It was an ambitious project. Dr. Strickler collected specimens of the eighty species of Penstemon native to Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, and Anne spent several months drawing them.

Penstemon is the largest genus of flowering plants native to North America, with over 272 species. Anne said this diversity is due to glaciation. 10,000 years ago glaciers pushed plants in front of them as they advanced, and when they retreated left entire plant communities stranded. This phenomenon and the great variety of soil types that exist in this country resulted in the development of the various species. Penstemon continues to evolve, due to hybridizing. Where several Penstemon species coexist, they will occasionally cross with each other, thus creating hybrids.

Anne had only drawn from nature in the past, and found it a challenge to create three-dimensional drawings from dried specimens. Her preferred medium is ink, because it forces her to work in the moment. Lines on paper accomplish what photographs can't; they show much more clearly the structure of the plants--the arrangement of the leaves and their inflorescence (where the flowers are and how they are arranged around the axis).

"We get lost in our technology," said Anne. She seldom photographs or harvests plant specimens and instead draws what she finds. Her field journals are brimming with notes and vibrant drawings and watercolors. This older, more traditional way of working is similar to the methods employed by famed naturalists such as Thoreau and Olaus Murie.

Though I'm an avid photographer, my professional training is as a painter, and my conversation with Anne made me aware of the fact that IÕve been spending too much time behind the lens and not enough time drawing and painting what I see. Inspired by Anne, I intend to change my methods this hiking season.