I just finished the Calandra Lark. Here are some facts about this beautiful bird...
Appearance: It's a large lark, about 17.5-20 cm long, with a robust build, a heavy bill, and noticeable pale eyebrows
. Its plumage is mainly greyish-brown streaked above and white below, with large black patches on the breast sides.
Habitat: This species is found in open plains, steppes, pastures, and dry cereal cultivations. It's mainly resident in the west of its range but Russian populations migrate further south in winter.
Diet: Their main food source is seeds, but they also consume insects when nesting.
Behaviour: Calandra Larks are known to be gregarious outside the breeding season, often forming large flocks.
Song: Their song is considered musical and slower than the Skylark's. It has been historically popular as a cagebird.
Sometimes, a good goodbye is also a fresh hello.
As we wrapped up our "Sacred Spaces" paintings, I asked our student teacher to design a one-day project—something playful, earthy, and engaging to ease the class into her care. She brought mud. Literally.
Using mud and simple stencils, students pressed images—flowers, insects, wings—onto the sidewalk behind our school. There's something timeless about making marks with the ground itself. It felt ancient and immediate at the same time.
These prints won’t last long, but maybe that’s the point. A fleeting image, a shared laugh, a new hand guiding the next phase of learning.
Art is about making marks. Not all of them need to be permanent.
The implementation of the project for the Akademos kindergarten in Poznań has ended. The idea behind the project was to create a jungle staircase in which children will be able to cover something new every day while walking down the corridor. Many animals, reptiles, and insects are hidden in the thicket of plants. So that the number of details and small elements does not overwhelm the space, we used a black and white combination with small colorful accents, which are also to stimulate the imagination of children. Realistically painted birds are an additional decorative element, which can be a background for photo sessions.
The implementation of the project for the Akademos kindergarten in Poznań has ended. The idea behind the project was to create a jungle staircase in which children will be able to cover something new every day while walking down the corridor. Many animals, reptiles and insects are hidden in the thicket of plants. So that the number of details and small elements does not overwhelm the space, we used a black and white combination with small colorful accents, which are also to stimulate the imagination of children. Realistically painted birds are an additional decorative element, which can be a background for photo sessions.
Many thanks to @czapski.gallery for providing colorful paints, as well as to the kindergarten team who supported the activities.
The implementation of the project for the Akademos kindergarten in Poznań has ended. The idea behind the project was to create a jungle staircase in which children will be able to cover something new every day while walking down the corridor. Many animals, reptiles and insects are hidden in the thicket of plants. So that the number of details and small elements does not overwhelm the space, we used a black and white combination with small colorful accents, which are also to stimulate the imagination of children. Realistically painted birds are an additional decorative element, which can be a background for photo sessions.
The Moon Mason Bees spread life throughout the galaxy in the world of Under a Hostile Sun!
Astronauts love them. Hate them. Hate to love them and love to hate them. The Moon Masons are larger than cars, have the curiosity of squirrels, the hive mind of insects and endless mutagenic powers.
https://muckraker.itch.io/under-a-hostile-sun
