Not all stars twinkle in the sky. Some glisten on the shore or wink up at us from the grass beneath our feet. Their shape is often best appreciated from above. However, I drew the Queen Anne’s Lace flower, shown at top, from the perspective of an ant that might be looking up towards the sky from a position on the stem.
Star shapes consist of five or more points radiating from a centre.
These star polygons are given different names depending on how many points they have. For example, a pentagram has five points while an octagram has eight.
Many of these star shapes hold spiritual significance. Pentagrams are considered magical and often used in occult practices. The Star of David and the Seal of Solomon are both hexagrams, star polygons with six points.
On land, the variety of star shaped flowers is endless. In the water, echinoderms are marine animals that reveal radial symmetry in some part of their design at the adult stage. Sea urchins, sand dollars and starfish are echinoderms that often wash up on Nova Scotia’s shores.
Sometimes, the star structure of the polygon is not as obvious, as is the case with the hexagonal chambers of bees. Like other shapes in nature, such as the circle, the branch, the spiral and the meander, these tiny hexagons form exquisite patterns and are the building blocks for larger things, in this case, the honeycomb.
Over the past five Saturdays, I’ve examined five different shapes found frequently in nature as a lead-in to a Summer Scavenger Hunt. Next Saturday on June 20th, Midsummer’s Eve, I’ll provide final details of the hunt. Wherever you make your home on the planet, whether you live in the city or in the country, I hope you’ll consider taking part.
The spiral is a shape that has fascinated humans since ancient times. The first symbols drawn on the planet were spirals, thought to represent the sun and eternity.
A look into the mathematics behind spiral shapes can lead to further study of the 
A couple of years ago, my friend Ruth brought me some shells from a trip she made back home to the south shore of Nova Scotia. Although she included some perfect specimens, some worn shells were also part of the collection that she had beautifully arranged in a large glass jar. When I decided to draw them one day, it was the worn shells that seemed most interesting. One shell in particular was just a skeleton of its former self , yet it proved to be the most appealing subject of all. It was one that I did not quickly grow tired of drawing over and over again. Why?
The vines on my house continue to cover up more and more of the ‘clean white’ siding. Though they look gnarly in the winter, during the summer, their green leaves are so refreshingly beautiful… perhaps even more so, because I know they won’t last. The grass withers, the flowers fade… Would something not be lost if the grass was always green and flowers were always in full bloom? Flower beds that are ‘still in the works’ hold the promise of new plantings and arrangements in the growing season ahead. I know this long, cold winter will make the sun and sea breezes feel even warmer as I’m hanging the laundry on the clothesline this summer.
wash natural treasure in the form of seashells onto the beaches. Some common finds at local beaches are shown at left: a Green Sea Urchin, Blue Mussels, Sea Biscuits (a type of Sand Dollar), a small Surf Clam, Irish Moss seaweed and a small starfish. 
The carnivorous Northern Moon Shell is shown at left along with a Mermaid’s Purse, which is an egg case for a skate, a type of ray. The hooked ends of these egg cases cling to seaweed but are sometimes loosened by the currents and washed ashore. The moon shells are very beautiful but have become less common finds in recent years. 
People often marvel when I tell them about all the wildlife I see. Whether I’m walking in the woods or along the seashore, my eyes always manage to capture what others would usually miss: mammals, birds, seashells… How do I do this?
