I believe this is a maple leaf of an adapted or Texas-native species. If you can identify it, please leave a comment!

Autumn doesn’t really get going in Houston until after Thanksgiving. Although delayed, our Gulf Coast autumn had a nice little display of colorful leaves—before much-needed rains pelted them to the ground and turned them brown.

I found this leaf shortly after New Year’s Day while walking around my neighborhood. My guess is this is some type of a maple, or Acer, species. I observed something interesting during my walks: The leaves of post and pin oaks don’t fall from the tree until they are fully brown and dry, unlike some of the other trees here.

Painting the shadow under the leaf gives it a little more dimensionality.

The challenge for this painting was painting red shadows on the leaf. The palette included quinacridone pink and rhodonite genuine, both by Daniel Smith. The shadow under the leaf was made with lapis blue, sepia, and a bit of potter’s pink as a reflection of the red leaf onto the white paper.

Sponsored by the National Geographic Society, Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs features artifacts from all dynastic periods that have been discovered in the last 25 or 30 years. A bit less than half of the exhibit is devoted to these new findings, while the curators have chosen to focus on recent discoveries about the DNA heritage and physical status of Tutankhamun in the final four rooms devoted to his tomb proper.

The newly uncovered artifacts are indeed stunning. There are many statuettes that have retained their surface paint and inlaid obsidian/quartz eyes. Highlighted are the small statuettes of a man named Inty Shetu, which were found in his burial chambers. Inty Shetu was a construction overseer for the pharaohonic tombs, and his own tomb is the first one found of an individual who was a mere commoner and not a member of either the royal dynasties or the clerk/priesthood mandarinate. The portrait sculptures are also unique because they depict this man at varying points in his life, from adolescent youth to portly middle age.

Another beautiful find was the sarcophagus made for the cat of Prince Thutmose. The lively and sensitive engravings portray a real animal, and the front and back panels are slightly asymmetrical in the details depicted.

There are also statues portraying Queen Hatshepshut, who was the only known female pharaoh, with all the male insignia of the royal role, including the ceremonial, artificial, braided beard and woven headdress. A coffer intricately patterned in enamelled, turquoise-blue smalt and gold inlay and about the size of a modern end table was once a gift from a pharaoh to his (well-born) commoner in-laws, and exemplifies the level of quality and preservation of the artifacts on display.

The exhibit’s curators have chosen different objects from Tutankhamun’s tomb than the items that were displayed in the last great exhibit. The extraordinary funerary mask of Tut is not included in the current tour, as the decision was made at the end of the last tour to keep this treasure at home in Egypt. The young king’s bed and throne, used during his lifetime and buried with him, form part of the list of newly exhibited objects from the burial chambers. Also included are the golden sandals placed on Tut’s mummy and the special sarcophagus made for his stomach, one of a set created for the royal offal. Exquisitely rendered shabtis, or miniature servant statues, are a just a few of the more than 400 such magical figures buried with the king to ensure that he would never have to lift a finger in labor in his afterlife. A massive colossus of Tut is another of the artifacts debuting in this exhibit.

The curators have focused on explaining the full history of the pharaohs and their dynasties, and Tutankhamun’s position within this lineage. Wall plaques, timelines, video screens and an audio tour flesh out the details of ancient Egypt’s story. For the most part, the multi-media infoblitz is unobtrusive and complementary to the objects on display. The curators do indulge in a small bit of cheesy showbusiness in the portentous video announcements (accompanied by dramatic stage lighting!) at the main entry to the exhibit and the secondary doorway leading to the display of Tut’s burial chambers.

We chose to rent the audio tour when we bought tickets. Having grown up in an anti-audio-tour home, I was somewhat leery whether the tape would provide useful information, or simply disturb my ability to observe and absorb the qualities of the items exhibited. Renting the audio package is well worth the extra $6 expense. The information on the recording is different from the graphic materials and wall texts, and the various narrators provide interesting insights into the specific highlighted artifacts as well as about Egyptian culture and burial techniques. The audio tour is housed in a sleek case about the size of a tv remote. It’s simple to shift between tracks, and the sound quality is very clear.

The exhibit, Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs, runs until April 15, 2012 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Its final US venue will be at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, WA, from May 24, 2012 to January 6, 2013. MFAH members may purchase tickets through the museum, while non-members may buy tickets through the official King Tut/National Geographic website. All tickets are timed entries on the half-hour. Once you enter the exhibit, you may take as long as you like to view it; however, exiting is final and no re-entry is permitted. The crowds in 2011 are not nearly as oppressive as the 1970s tour. You can easily spend some time poring over the details of a display without too much jostling from other tour visitors.

Here are some photos from the afternoon. Ms. Hendry was kind enough to take some photos for me. All photos in this post are © 2011, Sharon Hendry, all rights reserved, used with permission.

The students listened very intently during the workshop. Photo, courtesy of Sharon Hendry.

This student concentrates on rendering a leaf accurately. Photo courtesy of Sharon Hendry

I answer questions while other students paint steadily. Photo courtesy of Sharon Hendry.

The students and I discuss how their work is progressing. Photo courtesy of Sharon Hendry

Clockwise from left: How-to instructions; Tips on tracing a leaf form: ArtL8dy's supply kit, with a paint dot card I made; demonstrating light source and shadow. Photos courtesy of Sharon Hendry

Thanks HCC illustration students for being so enthusiastic and receptive! Thanks Sharon, for the invitation to share with your students! To see more of Sharon’s artwork, visit her blog, E-14 Studio.

• 2 x variety of native wild azalea, rhodendron canescens “Phlox Pink”
• 1 x sassafras, Sassafras albidum
• 1 x Brazilian pipeweed, Aristolochia fimbriata
• 1 x Cat’s whiskers, Ophiron labiatus
• 1 x Purple porterweed, Stachytarpheta sp.
• 1 x Gulf Coast penstemon, Penstemon tenuis

On Friday, October 14, my sister and I attended the storied Houston Bulb & Plant Mart, the Houston Garden Club’s annual extravaganza. This year, Bulb Mart was held at the Holly Hall Retirement Community literally across the street from the old Astrodome (Reliant Stadium to newbie Houstonians). As always, it was a high-decibel, tightly packed bedlam of grabbing, gabbing gardeners.

I managed to snag the following goodies:

• 80 x anemone corms, Anemone coronaria, “De Caen”
• 40 x ranunculus, Ranunculus asiaticus, “Tecolote” (mixed colors) and “Merlot” (a bi-colored deep pink and cream)
• 2 x Amaryllis, Hippeastrum x, “Vivaldi” and “Clown.” These are my Christmas decorations for 2011!
• 3 x hyancinth, Hyacinth orientalis, “Delft Blue.” In the fridge now to chase those winter blues!
• 1 x Ophiron labiatus, to pair with the one from the plant sale
• 1 x Aristolochia fimbriata, likewise
• 2 x Australian violets, viola hederaceae
• 1 x Toad lily, Tricyrtis formosiana, “Alice Staub,” a dwarf variety
• 2 x Maidenhair ferns “Cree”, Adiantum capillus
• 1 x Anemone “Alice Staub” Anemone huphensis?. This is a shade-loving variety, unlike the corms, which are high sun. It is a low plant, with trilobed leaves and pink blossoms. If you know the species name, let me know in the comments!

And finally, my Bulb Mart impulse purchase:

• 2 x American pitcher plant, Sarracenia wrigleyana. Weird, whacky, wonderful. Sun-loving bog-dwellers. Carnivorous plants. What will I do with them?!

Good for thee, but not for me: Sassafras needs plenty of room and lots of sunshine.

Saturday the Wrenaissance Man and I went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science plant sale. The sale is an annual fundraiser for the butterfly center, and features plants that will attract butterflies and do well in Houston gardens. We were hoping to acquire some plants for our microscopic, shady-to-part-shady townhouse garden.

We were attracted by the sassafras—the Wrenaissance Man liked the old-timey, granny garden associations, and I was thinking about autumn color. We both imagined it was a nice, little shrubbery. Unfortunately, Dave’s Garden informed us that sassafras is a 50-foot tree that requires full sun and plenty of space, as it is also invasive. 

Oh, dear.

Anyone up for a plant barter?

Translation: This is a yellow cab.

The treachery of text.

Apologies to René Magritte.

Not all is brown and wilting in the August heat. This orchid is sending out flower buds!

Saturday, August 27, hit an all-time record high of 109° F here in Houston.

This morning, I noticed that my terrestrial cymbidium orchid had sent out 2 flower bud stalks (the second one is hidden behind the leaf in the front). Guess the ultra-high temperatures agree with this little tropical transplant.

When I bought this orchid at Buchanan’s Nursery this last June, they told me it would bloom in either yellow or pink. Any guesses as to which it will be?

Lovely contrasts of pastel pinks and greens with bright yellow on this hidden ginger flower head.

Houston has been enduring a record heat wave this August, with the most days over 100° F ever recorded—24 in a row. Only a few individual days of that hot streak were record-breakers in themselves, but when the mercury tops 100°, that seems a minor detail.

We’ve also had an epic drought, as we are almost 18″ behind the norms for the YTD. Lake Houston, the main metropolitan water source is 7 feet lower than it was in January. The city started mandatory water restrictions last week, while the suburbs have been rationing water for the last month or so.

The baseline cause for this intense summer weather is an unusually strong La Nina pattern in the Pacific. Unfortunately for us, NOAA predicts that the La Nina pattern will continue through 2012, so a harsh, dry winter and summer drought conditions may be in store for us next year.

On the bright side, the hidden ginger rhizomes that I bought at the 2010 Houston Bulb Mart finally sprouted and are now blooming one by one. Nice to see something blossoming while the other plants suffer and wilt.

One new leaf at a time, the spring garden revives.

The acanthus plant did survive the frost after all, sending a new leaf up from its root ball. I love how it looks like it’s clawing its way back in the photo.

Both toad lilies made it through and with a couple of weeks of indoor nights, so did my nun’s cap orchid. The sparaxis bulbs had their leaf tips burned dry by the frost, but look like they’ll bloom as normal this April. Unfortunately, the hidden ginger never sprouted.

It’s garden center time!

Not quite yet—still waiting for those Texas bluebonnets. © Wren M. Allen

Sunday morning we went walking in the Houston Arboretum to enjoy the crisp, early-spring weather. The open meadow area had some bluebonnets massed along the trail, but only 1 or 2 buds. The experts predict a less-than-stellar wildflower season this year, due to lack of rain caused by La Niña weather patterns. The cold weather has also slowed down flower growth.

There were plenty of bird calls as we hiked. That’s a skill I’d love to have—recognizing birds by their songs. Can you recommend some good birdsong audio guides?