crop Archives - Lizzie Harper

Potatoes

Posted on 6th October 2023 in Current projects and news

Potatoes are ubiquitous vegetables, a staple in the west since their introduction from South America in 1590. They’re bought in shops, planted in gardens, made into crisps and fries; but as well as being a vital food crop, they’re also rather beautiful plants. Varieties of Potato There are hundreds of different potato cultivars. Some bear […] Read more

Bird’s-foot Trefoil: An Excellent Plant

Posted on 4th January 2023 in Botany: Telling species apart, Current projects and news

Bird’s-foot Trefoil: Where to find it? This blog is in praise of a small, common wildflower which grows in grasslands. It spreads across the ground, and is low growing (rarely higher than 20cm). It favours sandy soils, but is tough and grows in a wide selection of substrates, and is able to grow in […] Read more

Comparing Common and Japanese Hops

Posted on 16th October 202016th October 2020 in Botany: Telling species apart

A recent job involved highlighting differences between the Japanese hop Humulus japonicus, and the Common hop Humulus lupulus. Sketchbook study of the Common hop Overview of Hop plants Hops are members of the Cannabaceae family, and are native to the Northern hemisphere. There are three species of hop, and any number of varieties of the Common […] Read more

Botanical Illustration of a Brassica Leaf

Posted on 8th November 2019 in Illustration techniques

An Introduction to Brassicaceae Actually, before I start this blog I need to clarify the title, “Botanical Illustration of a Brassica leaf”. The leaf I’m discussing is that of a Yellow Mustard plant, Brassica juncea, a species of Brassica. The colours of Brassica leaves are very similar across many members of the family. The […] Read more

Fungal Diseases of Wheat Crops

Posted on 26th May 20178th January 2019 in Current projects and news

I was recently commissioned by Farmer’s Weekly Magazine to do some botanical illustrations of both Wheat (Triticum aestivum) and three common diseases of wheat crops. Common wheat plant (Triticum aestivum), free of disease. The first one is the fungus Septoria, the other two are rusts. Septoria Septoria triitici is a fungus that affects the leaves and stems of wheat […] Read more

Oil seed rape and quacking ducks

Posted on 25th January 201324th October 2018 in Current projects and news

The snow has finally melted, and the river Wye was amazingly high yesterday, flooding lots of the river-side footpaths. Very dramatic. I’ve been getting on with the illustrations of ducklings for Waterlife Magazine this week, although waiting for feedback has slowed things down. I’ve finished the quacking ducks, and hope to have a couple more […] Read more