February feels a lot different.
January was restrained. Sparse. Two flowers carefully recorded because that was honestly all there was. Snowdrop. Crocus. Structure over colour.
This month shifted quickly. Almost overnight, it went from two specimens to more than I could reasonably fit into a small notebook. The land did not ease into change. It moved.
The daffodils – Daffodil (Narcissus spp.) – were the first to dominate. Bright, upright, impossible to ignore. They feel less fragile than January’s blooms. More certain.
Viburnum – Viburnum (Viburnum spp.), in several varieties – added clusters and weight. Some tight in bud, some already open. A transition captured mid-process.
Periwinkle – Periwinkle (Vinca major) – small but steady, five-petalled and precise, threading through the ground layer.
Iris – Iris (Iris spp.) – structured and upright, blades first, then the unfolding bloom.
Japanese Flowering quince – Japanese flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica) – beautiful coral coloured blooms that peek out by the pond at the bottom of the garden.
Cherry plum – Cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera) – blossom appearing before leaf, pale against dark branch.
Hellebore – Hellebore (Helleborus) – downward-facing, layered, complex in structure.
Primrose – Primrose (Primula vulgaris) – soft yellow, low-growing, consistent along verges.
Filed Pansy – Field Pansy (Viola arvensis) – smaller blooms with detailed petal markings that reward close study.
Winter Jasmine – Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) – bright yellow flowers along bare green stems, flowering before foliage.
The photographs this month document process as much as subject. These are specimens gathered, pressed, observed, then translated into ink.
Working in a small notebook forces discipline. There is no space for excess. Each stem is positioned deliberately before pressure is applied. Ink records contact honestly; it does not correct. As I’m writing this we are always into March, I’m making the decision to swap from block ink to inking pads to see if they pick up more detail and for ease of printing as things are really picking up this month as explosions of colour appearing overnight.
January was about scarcity. February is about managing abundance without losing attention.
Follow along with this project here – A Year in Ink – A Botanical Archive.