fire

Oil on canvas
23.75″ x 29.75″ x 1.5″
ⒸCathy Haibach 2023

Fire is crucial to the prairie life cycle. It removes the debris from the prior year’s growth, allowing the current year’s plants to explode in a blaze of color. We always note burned areas during spring visits and plan our return to coincide with the plants that will be blooming there throughout the year.

In this painting, fire spins through charred plant debris as goldfinches flee to find a safer perch. Fiddlehead ferns are among the first plants to emerge. The remains of a coyote and a snail wait to be absorbed into the soil.

$600