March 8th Nature Journaling with Inspirational Cards

The Elder Tree represents "Protection" on the Tree Magick Inspirational Card. This "Good Mother" protects other trees, fairies, and you from harm.

The leaves of the Sambucus canadensis are opposite and odd-pinnately compound. "Odd" means that there is an odd number of leaflets to each leaf leaving one leaflet at the tip without a partner opposite of it. There are usually 5-11 lance-shaped leaflets with serrate margins. Research botanists have theorized that the jagged bread knife like leaf margins help a tree with transpiration and photosynthesis early in the growing season. This would be important for trees in getting a spring kick-start in colder climes.

The Elder Tree has large white clusters of star-shaped flowers in the spring. An extract of the flowers is widely used in Europe in food and drink. Beware! The flowers and ripe cooked berries may be edible but uncooked berries, twigs, leaves, branches, seeds, roots, etc. contain cyanidin glycosides and certain alkaloids which have toxic properties. 

The Elder Berry is really a "drupe" which is a fleshy fruit containing a single central stone or pit.

       Watercolor and ink in Strathmore Field Watercolor  Hardcover Spiral Bound 400 Series Journal with alternating            140 lbs watercolor paper and 60 lbs sketch paper.

 I'm using the sketch page for the "pen" portion and the watercolor page for the "paint" portion of this Pull Pen Paint 2019 challenge.

Journaling with Tree Magick inspiration cards 
by Gillian Kemp

Nature Journalist Kelly Johnson 

https://www.wingswormsandwonder.com/  

Art Journalist Kiala Givehand 

https://www.kialagivehand.com/
at Pull Pen Paint 2019
https://classes.kialagivehand.com/p/ppp2019