A holiday nature art show

[ItsMeLucy]

In packing up this house (larger) for that house (smaller), I am realizing just how much unique nature art I have. I think it is all wonderful but suspect I am biased because it was made by children I love, specifically my own. Thus I have decided to share it with you and put it through the CV along the way to see how well they really did.

No worries, though – I deleted before uploading so as not to pollute the dataset. (Because I believe children’s imaginations exist in a place free of time and space, I set no location to let the CV run a little more freely.)

First, please feast your eyes upon this.

The CV was not very confident and offered up one idea only for this: Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares). Close! The son who made this came home and announced it was a turtle with a smiling clown face on its shell, which species I do not believe has yet been described.

CV had a lot of ideas for this one but again felt a little wary in the confidence department. Top contender was Mouse Bot Fly (Cuterebra fontinella), which is kid-close since the son who made this declared it was a post apocalyptic mouse. (They eat well, apparently.)

CV had a burst of confidence on this one and was pretty sure it was in the Leatherback Sea Turtles (Dermochelys) genus! Alas, no. I was informed by the son who brought this home it is a “jungle crane”. (Again, I do not think this species has yet been described.)

Last but not least, this is one of my own pieces, which still has my name and a 3 on the bottom, for I was in Year 3, which is the equivalent of Second Grade, I think.

I am devastated that CV did not get this one and instead sort of shrugged and weakly said, “I dunno… maybe it’s… Naio Thrips???” and then basically walked away.

I also remember my late parents barely containing their chortles when I indignantly informed them it was a giraffe and I had to make choices about the neck because of the constraints of clay. I found it in my father’s bedside drawer after his death some eighteen years ago and it made my heart keen a bit (and then made my own children chortle when I told them what it was meant to be.)

Please feel free to add to this art show. (I have many more extraordinary pieces but most are packed.)

[isopodguy]

Those are hilarious! It gave me a good laugh hearing what the computer vision thought they were.

I should try the CV on some things like that and see what it comes up with.

[DianaStuder]

the short-necked ssp from …
How about African painted dog ? Years ago a researcher appealed for the common name to be painted, not wild.

[papernautilus]

The black and white one is clearly a mole. The round, black spectacles are a dead giveaway.

[ItsMeLucy]

Diana, I would love to tell you it looks that way because I meant it to be something else. Alas it was kind of a family favorite for its… uniqueness. My father kept it on his desk in his office for many years though I did not see it from his retirement until his death, a period of about two decades, so honestly thought it had been tossed.

Perhaps it is a giraffe from a different, yet undiscovered land, where trees are shorter (low bushes even!), where giraffes evolved to have necks like newborn humans and legs like dachshunds!

[jasonhernandez74]

@ItsMeLucy

I indignantly informed them it was a giraffe and I had to make choices about the neck because of the constraints of clay.

Well, clearly it’s from early in the giraffe evolutionary lineage, from before their necks got long.

[ItsMeLucy]

@papernautilus

The black and white one is clearly a mole. The round, black spectacles are a dead giveaway.

Helpful?

[danly]

Oh, what fun!
I was sure that your giraffe was a red fox with a too-short tail…

[papernautilus]

You can tell it’s a giraffe because it’s in the process of getting up and has reached the point where it is resting on its front knees (elbows?) before making the final push.

[Thunderhead]

In the spirit of sharing child art…

I’ve held on to this over 30 years, made by elder daughter in first grade.
In case you could not tell, it is an elephant mask. So cute with her face peeking through the rectangle cut-out…and no trunk. Big flapping ears, though.

I was hurried when I posted this, so today I checked with CV…
Oh,C’mon… it’s an elephant!

[wildwestnature]

CV suggested human for most of them. This one it suggested deer vomit (fungi)

Think it’s a rose-breasted grosbeak

CV thought this was a pumpkin.

Pretty sure it’s a wood duck.

[donna165]

A couple of years ago I had a go at baking a cake for the Threatened Species Bake off.
If I don’t specify location it tells me it is a fungus, whelk or fly.
If I specify location then I get this:

It’s a Black-footed tree-rat holding a Save Lee Point sign. Lee Point is a local wildlife corridor being turned into a housing development

[ItsMeLucy]

But the potato chips (those are chips, yes?) are meant to be a shelf type of fungus, yes?

I am a little scared to ask: what flavor is this rat cake?

[ra_teo]

@ra_teo

This year the big surprise was the beautiful painting of a common kingfisher my sister made.

In the spirit of painting and art, here’s my sister’s gift for me this Christmas

How would you rate this painting? My sister’s really curious to know what you guys think.

[donna165]

Chocolate cake from a packet, left over marzipan, marshmallow fondant (thank you YouTube). Licorice. Malt biscuits and a few crisps.

[ItsMeLucy]

I think it is handsome. I bet the CV got it, yes? I especially like the dappled effect of the background.

@donna165 That sounds a wonderful combo!

[ra_teo]

I’m really happy that the common kingfisher is the very first suggestion, without location added.

[mo0nsgreenthumb]

It worked for me! This was a Carolina Wren I painted from a picture I took. INat properly identified it

[ra_teo]

Really good drawing!

[mo0nsgreenthumb]

Thanks!!