May's Flora and Fauna Monthly Challenge Competition

'May's Flora and Fauna Monthly Challenge Competition ' by thebluewindmill

A Treasury consisting of our 16 qualifying Challenge Competition entries. Voter is located at the bottom of this blog !

Dandelion Fluff (11x14 matte... AlexWijnen $35.00	Jewelry, Earrings, Silver, G... stefaniekraus $22.00
Spring Shoreline 13 x 19 Fin... PoSHGallery $85.00	25% Off Sale Dandelion 8x10 WoodsEdge $25.00
Classic Hawaiian Small Barki... BarkingDogBlan... $25.00	Pug Greets Spring - Set of 4 jessicalynnear... $10.00
Thinking of You with Flowers... fairycardmaker $4.25	Orchid Flower Watercolor Art... terikor $75.00
Leaves of Love original fine... KneeDeepOrigin... $150.00	Bee and Flower Necklace - Be... cocoNme $125.00
Flora and Fauna, Fine Art Pr... thebluewindmil... $12.00	Small dog Shrug hand knit sp... ShaggyChic $20.00
EFA's May Flora and Faun... EveryDogsDelig... $12.00	Forest Queen Pendant Necklac... LittleStudioJe... $54.00
Spring Daffodils Plate. Occu... EllaQuaint $9.50	4 Kitty Cat Placemats and Na... catcalls $36.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Orchid Flower Watercolor Art by terikor

I love flowers and working in the garden so I thought for this months challenge theme flora and fauna it would be exciting to share my favorite floral piece from my shop , Orchids in Paradise. I created this watercolor while on vacation in Hawaii. Whenever I travel I love to bring some form of art medium along so that I can hopefully create something when I am in a very relaxed mode. With Orchids in Paradise I was fortunate enough to be staying at a hotel that offered a watercolor workshop with a local Hawaiian artist. Prior to this I incorporated watercolors with some of my pastels. This original artwork fits our theme because it represents the tropical flora atmosphere of Hawaii as well as the beauty of Orchids.

Experimenting in different mediums is exciting to me and creates challenges that help me to grow in my artistic ability. Watercolor is a newer medium for me. I like that it is more fluid and can be extremely colorful.

As with all my work I donate a percentage to various animal charities. The charity I have recently been very inspired to assist is the Search Dog Foundation because not only do they help dogs by rescuing them from shelters, they train these dogs to help humans like those who were victims of the earthquake in Japan and other natural disaster.

Classic Hawaiian Small Blanket by BarkingDogBlanket

I love this fabric, to me it is just classic Hawaiian. This BarkingDogBlanket from my shop has pineapples and coconut trees, which grow here in tropical climates, and also the beautiful reef fish that can be seen when you go snorkeling. Not to mention some of our favorite past times to do in Hawaii such as surfing, fishing, and canoe paddling.

I volunteer at our local Hawaiian Humane Society, Oahu SPCA as a kennel cleaner and dog walker, in addition to helping with off site adoptions with HHS. I donate 10% of my sales to our EFA COTM, Pigs Peace Sanctuary, BooBooZoo Maui, United Animal Nations, Farm Animal Sanctuary and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Kitty Cat Placemats and Napkins by catcalls

What's cuter than kitties and flowers?! As I looked at my stash, I spied this lovely bright pink floral fabric and instantly saw spring kitty placemats. Both flora and fauna in one cheerful set from catcalls! The mats are reversible with matching appliqued napkins.

I am currently focusing on donating items to fundraisers for various animal groups. I have chosen The Feral Cat Rescue Project as my charity for the month and hope to have lots of sales!

Bee Mine Necklace by cocoNme

Bees are usually everywhere - especially when I planted an organic container garden on my balcony. This necklace by cocoNme features may of the lovely things found in nature each spring. This piece also helps me spread the word about Colony Collapse Disorder - the mystery of the disappearance of honey bees.

I've been involved in art since childhood and have been making jewelry since 2004. My golden retrievers, who were both shelter dogs, inspired me to combine my jewelry-making with my love for animals. Since 2005, I've donated a percentage of my sales to the ASPCA, HSUS, Habitat for Humanity, SCGR Rescue, GRCGLA Rescue, and the NCCF (for canine cancer - which two of my dogs died of). I've also donated some finished jewelry to several animal rescues for fund-raising auctions.

Leaves of Love Oil Painting by KneeDeepOriginals

This painting by KneeDeepOriginals was inspired by a bush of sorts that grows in our back yard. I'm not sure what it is, but I love its heart-shaped leaves and its beautiful greens and golds. The photo below depicts the lovely plant.


I've been involved with EFA for two years now. Locally, I support the Humane Society in two counties as well as a local nonprofit animal rescue group in several ways: fund-raising with music and visual art projects; sharing personally and on FB about animals ready for adoption; donating some percentage of my work and sales. I am also a strong advocate for spaying and neutering in my rural area because there are so many neglected and wandering animals who die from lack of care, starvation, or injuries sustained from being hit on roadways.

Vegan Silk Tapestry Box by brizel4theanimals

Brizel4TheAnimals presents, Tule Elk, a unique handmade decorative round Silk Tapestry Box, made of vegan banana silk yarn, perfect as a nature trinket !

Tule Elk is a lovely soft fiber arts container featuring vegan banana silk yarn in variegated reds, vanilla creams & brown cinnamon bark. It has a lid of its own which is embellished with a stamped metal elk image at the center of a cream vintage button.

Not far from where i live, there are herds of tule elk, these are a smaller, light-colored subspecies of the American elk or wapiti. In animal totem lore, elk signifies power, strength, stamina and nobility.

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I own some 20 acres up in the mountains where I have planted orchards and floral gardens. Personal funds are put towards helping to sustain this habitat which attracts birds, butterflies, bees, bats, hummingbirds... and it is also a seasonal mating ground for dragonflies ! Twilight is part of a 2,000 acre ranch out in the chaparral wilderness where wild animals still roam.

I provide a home for my animal rescues, create habitat for wildlife to prosper, support animal welfare through petition & animal advocacy work, donate 10% of my Silk Tapestry Box sales to EFA's Charity of the Month, and promote & support Team EFA members through Etsy Treasuries & the EFA blog. I am also Team Leader, Membership Leader, & Blog Mistress for Team EFA !

Thinking of Your Flower Card by fairycardmaker

These are flowers that never wilt! fairycardmaker handstamped these flowers and cut them out for a simple, elegant card. This time of year is when the Hydrangeas come out. They come in white or pink or blue with purple tints. My favourite ones are the blue ones. I love the blossom cluster that Hydrangeas make.

This card is one of the cards I'm teaching in my workshop for the Southern Ontario Animal Rescue (SOAR). We will be making three dry embossed cards and $5.00 of every person's workshop fee is donated to this local dog rescue. In my Etsy shop, 10% of the proceeds from the sale of this card will also be donated to SOAR.

Pug Greets Spring Cards by jessicalynneart

The sweet cards by jessicalynneart celebrate spring in all of its loveliness and splendor! These cards feature a photo of James Dean the Pug encountering a freshly sprung bud among chopped wood. They are great to send out all sorts of fanciful messages to your friends, wishing them wonderful days as the weather grows warm.

I donate $1 from every item sold in my shop to either the MSPCA or Pug Rescue of New England. I also donate items from my shop to animal charities around the world to raffle off and make money for their shelters and groups. One of my rabbit hats is about to be sent off to this year's Bunfest!

I volunteer my time as a dog walker, when I am able to, and I am the challenge blog volunteer who posts your entries each month :]

All My Friends Print by JenniferLynnProducts

This photo by JenniferLynnProducts beautifully captures the splendor of nature. Friends together, sharing a summer afternoon's joy. The mix of flowers and their happy colors in this photo reminds me of a party!

Though I no longer take in animals, I often donate money, goods, and my art to help animals. I also help coordinate rescues by, for example, putting people in a situation in touch with rescuers and by helping to spread the word in general.

Dandelion Print by WoodsEdge

This little example of flora might not be a rare one, but I will always love the magic of a dandelion puff, such as the one captured in this print by WoodsEdge.

I donate 10% of all sales to EFA’s COTM, in addition to volunteering for a rescue and writing about animal welfare/rights.

Spring Shoreline Print by PoSHGallery

My husband and I have a favorite hiking path near our home and this photograph by PoSHGallery is of the trees and mushrooms along the lake in Spring.

I am a photographer (PoSH Gallery) and I also work with Polymer Clay to create Jewelry (Couture Clay). I am a vegetarian, mother to a Beagle and a Shorkie, and try to speak out for animals who aren't able to do so. Between my two shops I currently donate to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, The MSPCA, and The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

Pinwheel Plant Inspired Earrings by stefaniekraus

These dazzling earrings by stefaniekraus are based on a macro photograph of a red and green Aeonium succulent (Pinwheel) that I took in Mendocino. I love how the green and red create such a strong contrast and how the closeup makes the plant look almost like an abstract painting.

This and next month, 100% of the proceeds from my store will go to the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society. It's a non-profit animal shelter, lead by wonderful and caring people, who suffered a horrible fire last year. They are currently raising money to rebuild the shelter and my goal is to help in any way that I can. I used to be a volunteer when the shelter was fully functional, and I loved to work with the cats there. I am also regularly donating money to animal-related causes.

In addition, I volunteer my design services to the Humane Farming Association in San Rafael and recently redesigned their website, hfa.org.

Dandelion Fluff Print by AlexWijnen

This lovely print by AlexWijnen is a wonderful celebration of nature's little beauties. Considered a weed by just about everyone, I personally love the beauty of dandelions. What starts out as a sturdy, squatty yellow flower transforms into this delicate, ethereal orb of fluff. That said, I do wish there were fewer of them in my garden!

In addition to creating the quarterly magazine for the Oregon Humane Society for the past five years and supporting OHS with personal donations, I also donate a portion of the proceeds from sales of my dog prints in my Etsy shop and at local shows. Our two dogs are rescues from the humane society while our two cats were strays that wandered into our hearts. I love them all dearly and wish I could provide a home to even more pets in need! (alas, I had to promise my husband that we've reached our limit – for now!)