Photographer of the Month – Florrie Funk

Hepatica

I grew up in Atlanta, GA and spent by childhood summers in the mountains of Rabun County, GA and at summer camps near Brevard, NC. Most of my free time was spent wandering in the woods, playing in the creek and looking under rocks to see what lived there. My mother would tell me the names of trees and wildflowers or help me look them up in field guides. Familiarity with the natural world seemed like common knowledge.

When I was in college, I had a summer job working at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, where I met my husband, Tom Gonzalez. When he got a “real job,” we moved to Spain, then Puerto Rico. We raised two children as “corporate migrants,” living in various parts of the United States and Canada. In California, Florida, Missouri, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Georgia, I found volunteer work in nature centers, natural areas, botanical gardens. I used those times to share my love of the natural world with my children and with others. And I learned a lot from the people I worked with!

Now my husband is retired. My children are grown. I still spend time wandering in the woods, looking under rocks. There is so much more to learn! I also do some art, write some poetry and share my love of the natural world with anyone who will listen.

Red Salamander

Mountain Ash

Starry Sylphium

Carpenter bee on passionflower

Pipevine flower

Flowering Raspberry