Mycoheterotrphs are probably one of my most favorite things to find in the forest. I find these plants that are chlorophyll-less and saprophytic when studying fungi in the Pacific Northwest. It is a rare find to see these and it is a life long mission of mine to photograph them. If you ever find these in the forest, please only take photos, and don't take the plant. 

Mycoheterotroph comes from the Greek words mykes=fungus, heteros=different, and trophe=nutrition, so a different plant that gets its nutrients from mycelium. More specifically these chlorophyll-less plants are attached to the mycorrhizal networks of fungi that then attach to certain tree roots, and it is within that network of trees and fungi that these plants can survive. 

The first time I saw one of these ghost-like plants was at a camping trip in the coastal range in 2013. I photographed the flowering Monotropa uniflora, and when I was back at home began my search for what this was. I remember searching "fungus flower", "translucent flower" and "ghost flower" in Google. When I found it, I was so excited to see that it was a rare find and began learning about what it was. A few years later I joined the Willamette Valley Mushroom Society and found that I have a passion for mushrooms, forest ecology, and of course Mycoheterorophs.

You can follow my fungus finds on iNaturalist https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/autumna 

Sources on Mycoheterotrophs:
http://mhp.myspecies.info
https://parasiticplants.siu.edu/Mycotrophs/Mycotrophs.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myco-heterotrophy

​Let me know if you have ever found any, in the comments :)

Orange Cranberry Scones

2 cups of almond flour
1 cup of cassava flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
zest of one orange
1/2 teaspoon of zested fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup of cold Miyoko's Vegan Butter
3/4 cup of Oat Milk
Juice from 1 orange
1/4 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chips
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

In a large bowl add almond flour, cassava flour, sugar, orange and ginger zest, salt and baking powder. Give it a stir to mix up the ingredients. Now cut the butter into 1/2 inch slices and add to mixture. You are going to have to get your hands dirty...I know...but trust me it's worth it. Coat the butter in dry mixture and begin mixing the butter into pea size crumbs by pinching the chunks until they break up. It should only take a minute or two. Try and work fast so the butter does't melt. Add the milk and juice from the orange you zested, and mix just till a dough forms. Do not over mix it. Add the remaining ingredients and combine with the dough. 

On a parchment lined baking sheet dump the dough onto the center of the pan. Break the dough into 7 or 8 even chunks and form them into triangles about 1 inch high. Make sure you leave enough room for the scones to spread out a bit. 

Bake for 23 minutes or until the tops are a nice golden color. Let them cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before you remove them.

Enjoy warm with a hot cup of coffee or tea.

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today, I am vending with my ceramics at an art show in Salem. I had such a good time and pushed myself to get this show ready. I fired the kiln the day before the show, and was really impressed with how everything turned out.

hung at Taproot!

The past year has been incredibly hard for me and my family. My partner has been battling the worst flare up of his chronic illness since he was diagnosed in 2003. It has put him on disability and he has missed over a year of work. While he has been suffering with fatigue, pain and getting no answers, I have been there advocating for him. I didn't realize the stress it had put on me until my own body expressed it with pain in my back. 

This zine is a photographic essay on dealing with chronic illness from the caregivers perspective. I realized my feelings were more complex than I had allowed myself to think. Caregiving and advocating is incredibly hard and wearing. I only just began my journey into self-care. The reason my partner and I want to release this zine is to start a conversation and bring awareness to people who don't deal with illness on a daily basis. We also wanted to let other caregivers know they are not alone, as I thought I was. The medical institution has not done a good job of giving us hope or offering support. We feel like pawns in a game. 

​You can purchase the zine in my Etsy store.
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I have been applying to galleries and art shows like crazy. I do get a lot of rejections, and am not doing as much as I would like. One of my problems is trying to find the call for shows in time to apply. So I have asked some friends to help alert me to upcoming shows or applications to apply. If you have any leads, I would appreciate an email autumn at autumnsteam.com so I can apply. 

This photo is from a show I just did at The Space in Salem, Oregon, the Rejected Art Faire. It was a wonderful show full of our local community. 

My next show is coming up in September. Check out my Art Shows link to stay current! 

​

I am so excited I was just added to the President's List at SNHU! That is what a 4.0 GPA will get you! 

I am only a few more classes away from getting my Graphic Design degree. I have learned so much and am excited to use my new skills and develop my portfolio even further. 
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I am still in shock over the news that came in about this same time last night. Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, he is now our POTUS. I can not believe such a crass person could get into office. But I suppose with enough money, you can get anything you want. These next 4 years will be interesting and you can expect a lot of art coming from me against the bigotry, womanizing, warmongering, government corporate snuggle sessions, anti LGBTQ, the mother-fucking-WALL, a renegotiation of NAFTA, militarizing the police, and pretty much anything else that has come out of the mouth of the orange man. The writing is on the wall and history does repeat itself if we are not careful. 

http://www.npr.org/2016/11/09/501451368/here-is-what-donald-trump-wants-to-do-in-his-first-100-days

We are now the laughing stock of the world. 

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This election season between Clinton and Trump has been a disaster on epic proportions. What a circus that has not brought anything but spectators and the worst in everyone. I have felt anxiety and pure embarrassment this season. 

These two parties are totally missing the issues that really matter at this moment in time. One issue that I have seen my progressive friends post a lot about is the crude oil pipeline being built through the Dakotas. This one event has shown the corporate greed, the government back up to that corporate greed and total disregard for the sacred. 

The Dakota Access Pipeline has torn up ancient burial grounds and could potentially pollute the Missouri River and contaminate drinking water. Members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe have stood in peaceful protest along with others who joined them in their cause. Their peaceful protests have been met with violence from police forces and private military groups. Some of the videos I have seen show people getting attacked by dogs and militia handling the peaceful protesters with physical violence. 

I wanted to try and represent this struggle visually with, "How Crude". Piping crude oil  through ancient burial grounds and under a major river will help in killing the earth. What will we give to future generations? 

If you have a minute read this blog from Jihan Hafiz. She was one of the protesters who was arrested. This is unacceptable. Humans must stand together for our future generations. https://theintercept.com/2016/10/25/video-police-viciously-attacked-peaceful-protestors-at-the-dakota-access-pipeline/theintercept.com/2016/10/25/video-police-viciously-attacked-peaceful-protestors-at-the-dakota-access-pipeline/

​#NoDAPL #WaterIsLife