When I have a few moments to relax, I like to visit Flowerland. Sounds like a children’s book, doesn’t it? It’s a local nursery with a unique cafe tucked in an old Airstream trailer, and a crowded little shop full of indoor plants, gardening tools, and books—awesome books. Clearly they have an inspired buyer. A few months ago I spotted a little box with the title, Match a Leaf—A Tree Memory Game. The game has 25 cards with illustrations of trees from all over the world, and 25 cards of leaves to match with trees. Holly Exley is the illustrator, and Tony Kirkham, head of the Arboretum at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, wrote the accompanying play book and guide to the leaves and trees. (You’ll find a short piece about Tony’s 40 years at Kew studying trees here, and you’ll see the word “conkers”—one of the words deleted from the Oxford Junior Dictionary—in current usage in daily language.)
If you play the matching game, you’ll learn about the Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera): “This deciduous tree from North America is one of the only two Liriodendron species in the world (the second can be found in the mountains of China). It is closely related to the magnolia. Its yellow-orange flowers are similar to those of a tulip, and its unmistakable leaves look as though they have been cut off at the end with a pair of scissors. The trunk is often unbranching to a height of 82–98 feet (25–30 m), making the soft, fine-grained timber very valuable; it is used to make organs and for interior carpentry.” Who knew?
On a walk a few days ago that ended up at Flowerland, I noticed they’ve added another matching game published by the same UK company, Laurence King. The new deck is Butterfly Wings, illustrated by Christine Berrie, with a play book and text about the butterflies by Mike Unwin. Just like the tree game, the butterflies are from all over the world. You match the open wings with the folded wings.
I’m thinking a lot about games and nature. I’ve mentioned Bird Song Hero, an online game that I love. It’s a web-based sound matching game that helps you visualize bird song. Practicing with spectrograms has transformed how I remember bird songs.
I got these particular matching games for my granddaughter. She’s still a little young to play them but she’ll be ready soon. The illustrations are beautiful. How cool that Christine Berrie drew all these butterflies. How does she do it? Imagine studying trees for 40 years at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Go Tony. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Playing with Holly Exley’s tree illustrations can become a doorway to a long history of botanical illustration by women. I think these little matching games are a lovely way to nurture a deeper connection with the natural world for all of us, through play.
What I am watching:
Turns out, I love Instagram for the most amazing bird photographs and videos ever. Meet the greater Superb Bird-of-Paradise. Video by @timalman and Ed Scholes.
What I am reading:
Book: The New Childhood—Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World by Jordan Shapiro. Stay tuned. Review ahead.
Magazine: Bay Nature. See “Meet a Butterfly Illustrator and His Three-Year Project to Paint the Gossamer Wings” in the Spring issue
Article: “It’s a Short Hop from Fortnite to a New Best AI Friend” by Peter Rubin. #FutureIsNow #UnderstandingFortnite&EpicGames
Website: Calling Bullshit, a college class at University of Washington on how not to be duped by the news
