The Art of Paying Attention to nature
Mountain lioness drawing and story You Should Be So Lucky from The Art of Paying Attention series by Beth Surdut. Order prints 16" x 20" and larger. "When someone tells me that they have seen a mountain lion in the wild, or even that there might be one around, this frisson of excitement sparkles through me."
Hear and read on AZPM NPR. See my lioness on the AZ Trail kiosk, Aspen Corner, Flagstaff
Desert Spiny Lizard, male in full breeding colors, drawing by Beth Surdut. Click to order prints on paper. "When desert spiny males want to impress, they do push-ups, exaggerating their moves like competition body builders. Lagartija, the Spanish word for lizard, also means push-up." New story available for licensing.
Coyote drawing by Beth Surdut. Prints available by special order. ' I have come to think of the coyote who often crosses the arroyo near my house as my coyote, my night watchman." Hear and read the story on AZPM NPR.
Gopher snake drawing and story by certified Environmental Educator Beth Surdut. Click to order prints.
"He shot that snake in the head. He killed it because we were hysterical. We weren’t thinking…if only we’d thought about what we were doing. Because when we settled down, I realized we’d killed Charlie. I felt so bad and I still do. If we’d only thought.”
Stink Bugs, aka Pinacate beetles, eleodes genus of Darkling Beetle, drawing by Beth Surdut.
"Maybe I was witnessing tantric bug love. Maybe they were experiencing deeply satisfying hours of communion, practicing inner flute and achieving pleasure most humans can only fantasize about."
Rabbit Warren drawing of a baby bunny and the first story in my radio series.
"Had I leafed through the newspaper or tunneled my way through a book about animal behavior, or checked my messages, I would never have known about the rabbit warren that I had walked over countless times. Had I not practiced the art of paying attention, I would have missed the drama, the mystery, the life right in front of me."
Zebra-tailed lizard drawing and story by Beth Surdut.
"I didn’t intend to go shopping with a lizard in my pants." Hear and read on AZPM NPR.
Harris's Hawk drawing and story by Beth Surdut. Fine art prints available by order.
"Fierce, the Harris’s hawk glared at me with cantaloupe-colored eyes.
It's unsettling to be that close to an angry raptor." Hear on AZPM NPR
Gila Woodpecker bird claiming a columnar cactus fruit. "Woodpeckers are marvels of anatomical engineering, with tongues so long that they wrap around their skulls." drawing and story by Beth Surdut on AZPM NPR
Eye of the heron
Black-crowned Night Heron, the landscape around the lake reflected in his eyes, has stores within stories. My photograph, awarded First Place in the Plants & Animals category, is on display at Sahuarita Town Hall, Arizona.
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