Marlene A. Boonstra, MA

Marlene has worked as a studio artist for over 40 years and has a Master’s degree in Painting and Drawing. Her award-winning and published work has found a place in museums, corporations and private collections. She is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America.

Recently, Marlene completed her certificate and diploma with distinction in Botancial Illustration from the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh. Her personal goal to leave the world a better place leads her to actively seek partnering with people in the field of conservation.

Title of the Project:

Myrmecochorous Ephemeral Plants of the Midwestern United States

About the Project:

Myrmecochorous ephemeral plants, with their fleeting beauty and brief life cycles, paint the woodlands of western Michigan with vibrant colors each spring. This region hosts a rich tapestry of flora, and among the diverse array of ephemerals, five species whose seeds are dispersed by ants stand out to form the foundation for my final project at RBGE: Sanguinaria canadensis, Trillium grandiflorum, Anemone acutiloba, Dicentra cucullaria, and Erythronium americanum these plants not only add splendor to the landscape but also play crucial roles in the ecology of the region.

Illustrations: