I am delighted to share Cindy Dyer’s photography and article with you. Cindy has helped me with book covers, art layout, and publishing of several books, newsletters, and magazines. Her photography is something to shout about.
Category Archives: Cindy Dyer
A dream, a wish, an intention
A candle is lit and my thoughts go out to Grandmother Whitedeer who posted a few of my posts from Insectamonarca to the Sisterhood of Planetary Water Rites, of which I am a council member.
This is my alter with candle, fossils, driftwood, Worth Cooley-Prost’s beautiful handmade glass looking like raindrops, a feather and cedar. May our hearts always lift to the Faraway Vision. May we always honor our sisters who were part of the Sisterhood of Planetary Water Rites. May we always remember to do Ceremony for the Highest Good.
I am so happy we are reuniting again, The Sisterhood of Planetary Water Rites, to protect water and other gifts of Mother Earth. The hour is upon us as Climate Change is affecting so much. Waiting for monarch butterflies to appear in central Massachusetts. Today we saw a fritillary butterfly but couldn’t get close enough to photograph. This photo is copyright Cindy Dyer.
In Cindy Dyers Own Words
Published: My first series of stamps with the USPS!
28 01 2014
Yesterday, after more than a year in the making, my series of USPS-licensed fern photographs were released as 49 cent stamps in large coil format for business use. Special thanks to art director Phil Jordan for being so great to work with on the series! I’ll be back with more details on how we can POSSIBLY get a smaller amount than the issued 3,000 and 10,000 quantity rolls!
Read more about the stamps here: http://uspsstamps.com/stamps/ferns
Order a first-day-of-issue set within 60 days here:
http://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2014/pb22381/html/info_013.htm
Cindy Dyer has been an outstanding volunteer who has helped our nonprofit since 2008. Yes, she bought some milkweed seeds from me on eBay years ago and we have been friends ever since. She brings her professional expertise to create our marketing materials, logos, and even when it comes to publishing books.
We are so proud of her. Congratulations Cindy from the officers and board of Happy Tonics, Inc.
In the studio: Mary Ellen Ryall
1 11 2013
Mary Ellen Ryall and I crossed paths more than eight years ago when I purchased milkweed seeds from her through eBay. This connection quickly morphed into a frequent e-mail exchange and a great friendship! I do volunteer design and photography for her environmental education organization, Happy Tonics. For several years, I designed and produced her quarterly 4-page newsletter, Butterflies & Gardens, as well as other marketing materials. I also designed a Monarch Butterfly Habitat Poster for her a few years ago. The poster included original photographs by me and my friends Brian K. Loflin (www.bkloflin.wordpress.com) and Jeff Evans (www.evanimagesandart.com).
I had the chance to visit Mary Ellen in her former home base in Minong, Wisconsin, in August 2011. (Sidebar: at the time I was making the three-hour drive from the Minneapolis airport to Minong, I called Michael and learned that I had just missed a big earthquake in the D.C. area; it was enough to scare both him and our cat, ZenaB, and for a vase to fall off a bookcase and break!). While in Shell Lake and Minong, I visited Mary Ellen’s Monarch Butterfly Habitat and met many of her friends, most notably Diane Dryden, a published author and feature writer for the Washburn County Register. Diane’s novels, The Accidental King of Clark Street and Double or Nothing on Foster Ave., are available on Amazon here.
About a year ago, Mary Ellen relocated to Fitchburg, MA, to be closer to her sister. She talked of slowing down, but I knew she wouldn’t—she’s brimming with far too many ideas! An author and truly dedicated environmental educator, Mary Ellen’s first book, My Name is Butterfly, was published by Salt of the Earth Press in 2011. This teaching book about a little girl and a Monarch butterfly was illustrated by Marie Aubuchon-Mendoza and is available here.
Earlier this year, I assisted Mary Ellen with producing The Monarch Butterfly Coloring Book. Written by Mary Ellen Ryall and illustrated by Moira Christine McCusker, It is available for purchase here. It is published by Mary Ellen’s new company, Butterfly Woman Publishing. Our next project is a plant guidebook, which we hope to debut in 2014. She visited the D.C. area a few weeks ago to attend a three-day conference for the North America Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC). She is presently on a task force to design a smart app called S.H.A.R.E. (Simply Have Areas Reserved for the Environment). This app will allow gardeners around the country to list their habitats on a national map. Mary Ellen blogs about organic gardening and open pollination for diversity on her blog here.
After seeing the portraits I did of her while she was in town, Mary Ellen said, “now I see that I have to go out and buy a new wardrobe!” The outfits she is wearing came from my “modeling rack” as well as my closet. She feels I captured her energy in the shots—and if you’ve ever met her, you know how high-energy this woman is!
P.S. Butterflies are the second largest group of pollinators after bees. Butterflies as pollinators are in trouble too. The Monarch butterfly population is down to only five percent in 2013. The Monarch and other butterflies need native host plants. We need to plant native wildflowers to bring butterflies home. Milkweed is the only host plant of the Monarch butterfly. If you would like to be part of the solution to stop the decline of Monarch butterflies, plant some milkweed seeds in your garden! Mary Ellen sells seed on her website here.
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.
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Tags: bees, Brian Loflin, Butterfly Woman Publishing, Diane Dryden, Double or Nothing on Foster Ave., environmental education, garden, gardening, graphic design, Happy Tonics, insects, Jeff Evans, Marie Aubuchon-Mendoza, Mary Ellen Ryall, milkweed, Minong, Moira Christine McCusker, Monarch butterfly, Monarch Butterfly Habitat, My Name is Butterfly, NAPPC, native host plants, native wildflowers, North America Pollinator Protection Campaign, open pollination, organic gardening, photography, pollinator, portrait photography, publishing, S.H.A.R.E., Shell Lake, smart phone app, The Accidental King of Clark Street, Washburn County Register, Wisconsin
Categories : Butterfly, Flowers, Food, gardening, Insects, nature, Photography, portraits, publishing, Travel
Photo Posse
How to Grow Your Garden Photography Skills | Taking Better Pictures of Gardens
Cindy Dyer visited Mary Ellen Ryall in September. She taught Mary Ellen a few photography tricks. I bought a Nikon L120 because Cindy recommended it. I am learning for her with this post also. Plan to take a few photography classes this fall in Hayward, WI with WITC.
Enjoy Cindy’s post.
How to Grow Your Garden Photography Skills | Taking Better Pictures of Gardens.
Cindy Dyer’s Delightful Monarch Butterfly Photos and Thoughts
Posted by Cindy Dyer, Dyer Design
My friend Mary Ellen is likely snowed in with 15 inches of snow in a remote town in Wisconsin. To brighten her day, I thought I’d re-post some Monarch photos from my blog. This was originally posted October 15, 2008.
Yes, more Monarchs. I can’t help myself. They’re everywhere! I learned a technique from my friend Mary Ellen of Happy Tonics at www.happytonics.org about how to “stalk” Monarchs with a camera. Wait until they have their proboscis inserted into a flower and they become completely distracted by the task at hand—then move in closer, staying as still as possible. They won’t even notice you’re there. This one sure didn’t. I was able to shoot about 50+ images of this Monarch in less than five minutes.
Want to learn more about the senses of a Monarch? Click here.
Here’s a surefire way to attract Monarchs to your garden—plant milkweed!
Mary Ellen sells common milkweed seeds in her eBay store here. Milkweed is the sole food for the Monarch caterpillar. Adult butterflies can feed on other plants such as this butterfly bush, but the caterpillars only eat milkweed.
Mary Ellen and I crossed paths a few years ago when I purchased seeds from her through eBay. This led to a frequent e-mail exchange, and now I do volunteer design and photography for her organization, as well as other marketing materials. I also designed a Monarch Butterfly Habitat Poster for her this past spring. Note: The poster is available through the eBay store here.
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. www.cindydyer.com/GardenPhotos
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