Michael Arnold Art

The most distinguished African-American artist of the nineteenth century, Henry Ossawa Tanner was also the first artist of his race to achieve international acclaim. Tanner is often regarded as a realist painter, focusing on accurate depictions of subjects. While his early works, such as "The Banjo Lesson" were concerned with everyday life as an African American, Tanner's later paintings focused mainly on the religious subjects for which he is now best known. It is likely that Tanner's father, a minister in the African Methodist Church, was a formative influence in this direction. Read more at My Black History

The Black Swallowtail is one of Florida's most common garden butterflies. Its plump, green larvae, often referred to as parsley worms,  feed on many cultivated herbs, and may even become a minor nuisance pest. With a wingspan of 2.5-4.2 inches, the Black Swallowtail is equally at home along country roads, urban gardens, and meadows. Male butterflies have a strong rapid flight and frequently perch on low vegetation. Both sexes of the Black Swallowtail are extremely fond of flowers and readily stop to feed on nectar. This butterfly is one of six different species that mimic the toxic Pipevine Swallowtail to gain protection from predators. Read more on Floridian Nature

More people travel to Florida to see wildlife than any other state, and Florida is second in the nation in the total number of wildlife watchers.  Lovebugs '( plecia nearctica hardy ) are small black flies with red thoraxes . Lovebugs vary in length from one quarter to one third inch. Lovebugs do not sting or bite, but they do make a mess on motorist's windshields! read more at Floridian nature

Alaska's indigenous people, who are jointly called Alaska Natives, can be divided into five major groupings: Aleuts, Northern Eskimos (Inupiat), Southern Eskimos (Yuit), Interior Indians (Athabascans) and Southeast Coastal Indians (Tlingit and Haida). These groupings are based on broad cultural and linguistic similarities of peoples living contiguously in different regions of Alaska. They do not represent political or tribal units nor are they the units Native people have traditionally used to define themselves.  https://www.alaskannature.com/natives.htm

Zora Neale Hurston, born in Eatonville, Florida, was a noted novelist, folklorist and anthropologist who traveled throughout Florida collecting and writing stories of rural people. She was a major figure of the  Harlem Renaissance  in the 1920's and was part of the Federal Writers' Project in Florida in 1938. A recipient of Guggenheim and Rosenwald fellowships, Zora Neale Hurston's most prominent works include Mules and Men, Dust Tracks in the Road, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Eatonville annually holds the Zora Neale Hurston Festival, a tribute to Hurston’s lasting literary accomplishments.  https://www.myblackhistory.net/Zora_Hurston.htm

  Florida's wild hogs are often referred to as feral hogs or swine and are of three general types. These include free-ranging swine that come from domesticated stock, Eurasian wild boar, and hybrids of the two. Although technically, feral refers to free-ranging animals from domesticated stock, all wild hogs are typically referred to as feral in Florida and all are considered the same species, Sus scrofa. https://www.floridiannature.com/Floridawildhogs.htm