A Book of Wild Flowers

The Sunday Challenge for today is: BOOKS

This is one of my favourite books. Containing 160 colour plates by Elsa Felsko, each plate would make a fine framed photo. The First Edition is dated 1956, this is a second impression from 1963. I have had the book for over 50 odd years, and it always makes me feel calm looking at the prints. I think the artist is/was German, but I can't find out much about her.

Elsa Maria Felsko-Schülke (1908 Berlin - 1987 Berlin). Born Elsa Maria Maurischat. German flower painter and botanist. Studied graphics and design at the Berlin Textile School. Learned botanical illustration at the University of Göttingen under the botanist Robert Pilger. First worked as a botanical drawer at the University of Göttingen, later for Robert Pilger at the Botanical Museum in Berlin-Dahlem. Publish numerous botanical works with their illustrations. Also designed embroidery designs. Her primarily botanical, and more rarely also zoological representations are extremely valued due to the level of detail and the high level of color sensitivity. Thank you, Gudrun.

Today we went out early for a 4-5 mile walk along a very deserted canal. We saw 3 joggers, 2 dog walkers and a canoeist so had no problems with social distancing. Did some gardening this afternoon, and have just looked at videos of crowds of people in Snowdonia and other parts of Wales, and coastal regions in England on the Internet. Do they think they are immune? Such irresponsible behaviour. It has made me anxious and shocked, so I'll sit down and leaf through this book for a bit.