the crown

by Kristin Maija Peterson

In this graphite and watercolor drawing, Kristin Maija Peterson captures a native prairie sunflower found in the Thomas Lake Native Prairie Preserve after a frost. Peterson is drawn to these plants because of the many ways they nurture society: “they protect and replenish soil, provide food for pollinators, stabilize shorelines, and perhaps most importantly, their deep root systems filter dirty water runoff from our infrastructure before it seeps into our waterways.”

Peterson’s art practice is shaped by her work with a number of environmental nonprofits, including Metro Blooms and Blue Thumb. Learn more about their important work at:

metroblooms.org (@metroblooms) and

bluethumb.org (@bluethumbmn)