murals

Two years ago I shared my first collection of urban botanical art photos. Since that time I have collected several more. I had hoped to get lots of photos during my trips out of town, and while I did manage to get a few, it turns out that my hometown of Boise, Idaho has a sizable (and growing) selection of plant-related public art. Thus, several of these are local finds.

As I mentioned in the original post, if you have photos of urban botanical art that you would like to share with me, please do so either through twitter, tumblr, facebook, or some other means.

Utility box on the corner of 13th and River Streets in Boise, Idaho

Utility box on American Legion Boulevard in Mountain Home, Idaho

Downtown Anchorage, Alaska

Restrooms at the edge of Warm Springs Golf Course in Boise, Idaho. All plants represented are native to Idaho.

A plaque featuring botanical and common names accompanies each plant.

Sculpture at Richmond Nature Park in Richmond, BC, Canada

In the Food Garden at UBC Botanical Garden in Vancouver, BC, Canada

Reverse-Rebirth sculpture by Han Seok Hyun at Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise, Idaho

Paintings of flowers displayed outside of Boise Creative Center in Boise, Idaho

Utility box on the corner of Myrtle Street and Broadway Avenue in Boise, Idaho

Downtown Mountain Home, Idaho (Community Canvas of Moho)

Mural by Stephen Murphy (my dad!) in downtown Mountain Home, Idaho (Community Canvas of Moho)

We live on a green planet, so it is no surprise that plants frequently find their way into our artwork. They make excellent subjects after all; and arguably, botanical art can be a close second (if not a tie) to seeing the real thing.

No place is plant-themed art needed more than in urban areas. Despite trying to cram plants in wherever we can find room, our cities remain dominated by concrete, asphalt, and steel. Plants help soften the hard edges we create, and they reintroduce nature to something that otherwise seems unnatural. But there isn’t always space for plants. Botanical art is the next best thing.

When I’m not looking out for plants, I’m looking out for plant art. What follows are a few of my discoveries this past year in my hometown of Boise, Idaho and beyond. In future travels, I hope to find more botanical art in other urban areas. Meanwhile, please feel free to share with me the botanical art in your neighborhood, either through twitter, tumblr, or some other means.