Raised one of five children on a farm in rural Idaho, I was encouraged to explore nature, draw and read voraciously throughout my childhood. In my teens I discovered Holling Clancy Holling's books, "Pagoo" and "Minn-of-the-Mississippi, and vowed to someday become a writer and illustrator like that (I did). When I was 21, Rachel Carson became my hero and directly influenced the course of my career. My first book, AMERICA'S HORSES & PONIES was published by Houghton Mifflin when I was 24 (it was five years in the writing and illustrating -- after which I started writing and illustrating nature books). I have written and illustrated nine books of my own and illustrated fourteen others for such well-known authors as Robert McClung, Faith McNulty, and John Dennis -- and I'm still going strong. I have also illustrated for Audubon, Cricket, and Ranger Rick Nature Magazines, to name a few. 

I illustrated six books that won Outstanding Science Books for Children Awards (I also wrote one of them -- WILD BABIES).
I wrote and illustrated WILD MOUSE which received the New York Academy of Sciences Seventh Annual Children's Science Book Award.
I was awarded the Evelyn Sibley Lampman Award from the Oregon Library Association for "Significant Contribution to the Children of Oregon in The Field of Literature."

I have just finished my latest book in "The Explorer Series," the first book of which, THE REDROCK CANYON EXPLORER is doing well in National and State Parks and Monuments, as well as various bookstores and museums. The new one in the series, THE SOUTHERN SWAMP EXPLORER, is now available in many swamps, state and national parks in the Southeast ~ and if you don't see it there, ask if they'll order. It's carried by Common Ground, and I also sell it from my website (natureworkspress.com) and Amazon. I used to teach Biological Illustration at Southern Oregon University, undergrad and graduate levels before budget constraints knocked out all non-tenured professors (I was only an adjunct professor since that wasn't my whole career). So I switched to giving 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-day workshops on nature drawing and journaling, and watercolor pencil painting. I really love this aspect of my life, because I get to meet so many like-minded artists, and share my nature and art related knowledge with them.

My homepage at Nature Works Press
This website describes my books, contains an Author's Bio page, and an order form for my books.

Substance Books
A website showcasing the books of writers, illustrators and independent publishers. This site has an author bio, reviews and links to my site.

Amazon
I have four books listed on Amazon.com, with inside pages you can look at. This is a cool feature that lets you see before you make a commitment.