Working
in the
Field.
 | |
| Clover Study by Polly O'Leary |
I was so
worried about the logistics of this assignment after last year’s
disastrous summer. I even discussed with the tutor what to do
should it be impossible to find any flowering plants. Last year,
just about nothing flowered until September, too late for this
assignment.
This year,
we had the opposite problem, it was so hot that many things grew and
flowered quickly and went to seed just as quickly. I chose a marsh
not too far away for this assignment, as part of the assignment was
to be visiting almost daily to record the different plants at the
site.
I didn’t
realise, though, that I was supposed to be drawing and painting every
plant at the site, to send in with the finished painting! Good job
I reread the brief about half-way through the two months or I’d
have had even more work to do in the final two weeks.
Throughout
June and half of July, I’m afraid I paid more attention to my
oldest dog who was unwell, than to the assignment. Unfortunately, despite our best care and the care of the vet, we sadly had to make the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye.
I have to
admit, I more or less was sleepwalking for the rest of the
assignment, apart from when the Horseflies found me in the marsh and
decided I was delicious. Trying to accurately measure, draw and
paint plants while fighting off these sneaky little biters was no
fun. Forget the beasties and bugs of the Amazon, these little
blighters were out for BLOOD and even managed to cut me through my
blouse! I spent many a day trying to outrun them, whilst trying also
to get some work done. In the end, I’m afraid I took samples of
the more common plants and brought them home, although the marsh
orchids stayed put, apart from three small flowers collected from the
head of one particularly floriferous Orchid.
Two weeks
doesn’t seem very long to accurately identify and record all those
plants, draw up dissections, and then produce a painting of Five of
them. But it’s long enough. I was even almost pleased with the
painting when I sent it off, with photocopies of the fieldwork
sketches, to my tutor in time for the deadline. And luckily he
seemed to enjoy my work, giving me my highest mark yet!
