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Sharon Yiesla Photograph Collection

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Sharon Yiesla has had a camera of some kind in her hand since she was a teenager. She is a professional horticulturist who has worked in many areas of horticulture. When her career led her to jobs with state universities and public gardens, she turned her camera towards plants. As part of her work in those venues, she prepared educational presentations which, of course, needed photos. What’s a garden talkwithout the garden pictures? So, out of necessity, she became her own photographer.

Her photos include just about any kind of plant from trees to wildflowers to houseplants. They also
include landscapes, both natural and cultivated. With her camera, she also captures plant diseases and insects (both pests and pollinators). Her love of botany and plant id have given her a reason to get up close and personal with the plants. She is always trying to capture the details needed for plant id: the interior of a flower, the fruits of spring wildflowers or the tiny hairs on a stem.

Nature and gardening offer many things beyond plants and insects. Sharon has also photographed
animals, garden tools, affects provided by nature through raindrops, sunlight and frost, as well as the
occasional mushroom or pile of scat. Her motto is “Photograph everything. You never know what you
might need.”

Sharon is grateful to Rita Hassert and Danielle Nowak of the Sterling Morton Library for helping to make these photos part of the library’s extensive collection. The opportunity is much appreciated.
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