Truffle Moon

The culinary delicacy of the Oregon white truffle is a treasure humans often seek in the douglas-fir forests of the Pacific coasts. But the Northern flying squirrels that live in the region also prize truffles as a favorite food, and tend to be far more skilled at rooting them out. Gliding softly through the darkened forest on wings made from flaps of skin stretched between back and forefeet, flying squirrels smell, uproot, and consume truffles under the cover of night. Come morning, all a hopeful chef is likely to find in the forest is turned dirt and empty holes. You snooze, you lose.

This pen and ink illustration is 8 x 10″, total framed dimensions of the piece 11 x 14″.