art along the trails.

Saunders Woods Preserve in Gladwyne welcomed a collection of original paintings by local artist Ann Hopkins Wilson earlier this year. The nature-inspired works were displayed for six months along the walking trails there, carefully lashed to the trunks of mature trees.

Photo: Kristen Bower

Once an abstract painter focused on universal geometric patterns binding nature and man, Ms. Wilson has moved to incorporate animal imagery into her work. “It is an urgent response to the depletion of species and habitats locally and worldwide,” she says. “My paintings are prayers to protect, honor, and preserve our natural world.”

It is fitting that Saunders Woods was the temporary home for this collection, which has also been displayed at Bartram’s Garden and Awbury Arboretum. Lawrence and Dorothy Saunders, who donated the property to Natural Lands in 1988, always wanted their 25-acre “Little Farm,” as they called it, to welcome the community and to be a place where nature would inspire art and education.

Said Martha Moore, Natural Lands’ engagement director, “We’re always looking for creative ways to help people enjoy our preserves and understand the scope of our work. Saunders Woods is a beautiful place to visit any time, but Ann Wilson’s work added a new dimension. We were delighted to have her pieces grace our trees for a time. Her art serves as a unique reminder to our preserve visitors of how saving open space and caring for it well protects the natural world that supports us all.”