Wildlife and Wildfire

Watercolor, 6” x 12”, 2024

This series of five paintings was created for High Country News print issue in February 2024. It accompanied the article "Fire is driving animals’ evolution" by Kylie Mohr. The artwork details five species who need fire to survive but who have adapted to a specific intensity. Changing fire regimes will drive animals’ evolution, and these paintings show why fire is needed but not at the frequency of today. The species here are black fire beetle, black-backed woodpecker, western fence lizard, spotted owl, and Boisduval’s blue butterfly.