My work invites viewers to meet nature face to face. For birds and animals, I use a simplified portrait style on a large canvas so their presence can't be missed. For me, it’s a way of honoring their individualism and autonomy. With landscapes, I focus on skies and vistas and strive to capture the many combinations of blue, green, yellow, red, and burnt sienna. Plants and natural objects such as rocks, shells, and feathers provide inspiration.

Question: My 100-year-old Jade plant is about 5 feet tall and recently has been producing a sap from its leaves. White and sticky. Is there anything I can do to help this? Is it normal? Or is it endangering the plant? It is in kind of a cool spot; should I move it to a warmer place? It is a succulent, right? I would also like some information about repotting if necessary.

Answer: The pests most likely to cause a white, sticky substance are aphids, whiteflies, scale or mealybugs. These are known to affect jade plant, or Crassula ovata, which is indeed a succulent. They won’t destroy plants, but can weaken them and allow other problems to surface. If none of the pest descriptions below resemble what you are observing, you can take affected plant samples to a local county extension agent. Without knowing the specific pest, we can’t suggest specific treatments. Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides offers general information on caring for houseplants. Note their description of mealybugs, which do produce a sticky substance: “These insects look like little bits of cotton that are greasy or waxy. They are oval in shape, have a segmented body, and are about 1/4 inch long. You’ll usually find them hidden between leaves and stems or under leaves. They move slowly. They make a sticky liquid called honeydew and also cause leaves to become distorted and spotted.”

As for temperature and repotting, The New House Plant Expert (by D. Hessayon, 1991, p. 212), says that succulents like a difference between day and nighttime temperatures. They like to be kept cool in the winter, with 50-55 degrees F ideal, but as low as 40 is alright. Jade plants should only be repotted when essential. Repotting should occur in the spring; shallow pots rather than deep ones are preferable.

More care information can be found through South Dakota State University extension.

The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries (CBHL) presented its twenty-sixth Annual Literature Awards on May 8, 2025, during CBHL's 57th Annual Meeting. The CBHL Annual Literature Awards, created to recognize significant contributions to the literature of botany and horticulture, honored eleven remarkable works this year. Many of them may be found in the Miller Library, where they are featured in a display this month.

Honored with the 2025 CBHL Annual Literature Award: The Vasculum or Botanical Collecting Box: Symbol of the Nineteenth-Century Botanist, Now an Obsolete Relic by Régine Fabri and published by Plantentuin Meise.

The 2025 Award of Excellence in Botany went to The Lives of Lichens: A Natural History by Robert Lücking and Toby Spribille, published by Princeton University Press.

Palms of New Guinea by William J. Baker and 8 co-authors; illustrated by Lucy T. Smith and published by Kew Publishing was honored with the 2025 Award of Excellence in Field and Regional Guides.

The 2025 Award of Excellence in Plants and Environmental Change was presented to Rare Trees: The Fascinating Stories of the World’s Most Threatened Species by Sara Oldfield and Malin Rivers and published by Timber Press.

The 2025 Award of Excellence in Horticulture was presented to Weeds of the Pacific Northwest: 368 Unwanted Plants and How to Control Them by Sami Gray and Mark Turner, published by Timber Press. 

Wild Greens, Beautiful Girl by Erica Lee Schlaikjer, writer: Shan Li Bannai Serasis, translator; Cinyee Chiu, illustrator; and published by Sleeping Bear Press received the 2025 Award of Excellence in Literature for Children.

The Miracle Seed by Martin Lemelman and published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers earned the 2025 Award of Excellence in Literature for Young Adults. Detailing the discovery and planting of 2,000-year-old date palm seeds, this fascinating story and imaginative artwork will appeal to budding scientists.

Olivia Laing’s The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise published by W.W. Norton & Company received the 2025 Award of Excellence in Garden and Nature Writing.

The Forbidden Garden: The Botanists of Besieged Leningrad and their Impossible Choice by Simon Parkin and published by Scribner was honored with the 2025 Award of Excellence in History.

The 2025 Award of Excellence in Botanical Art and Illustration went to Botanical Icons: Critical Practices of Illustration in the Premodern Mediterranean by Andrew Griebeler and published by University of Chicago Press.

The 2025 Award of Excellence in Series was presented to Phaidon Editors, commissioning editor Victoria Clarke for their series: