Lake Life
“If I could be a blue heron I would, long neck, long legs, watching quietly, stepping quietly, waiting, then quick, vicious jab, gotcha, delicious fish.” – Ted Kooser
Date Published: August 28, 2026
Notes
Recently one of my favorite artists, Ken Gilliland, released yet another amazing pack of animal models this time of snakes of the American South… where I am. As soon as I saw that Cottonmouth, the idea for this scene popped into my head. I actually did the research to make certain that all of the wildlife seen here is, in real life, local to this area and our lake shorelines. One of the things I always gaze at/look for when I cross Crab Orchard Lake to get to Carbondale is also the focal point of this scene; the Great Blue Heron. Featured here in addition to the Great Blue Heron are an American Bullfrog, a Painted Turtle, a Cottonmouth Snake, Mallard Ducks, and Canadian Geese. I also made sure to feature a lot of cattail plants. They used to be all over around here, but some sort of invasive species has been overtaking them. This scene makes me miss the nature walks I used to go on with my dad. I don’t miss all of the bugs though! That was the main downside of nature walks, having to check myself for ticks before I went in the house and hoping I hadn’t got chiggers. YUCK!! I much prefer being safe in my fortress of solitude.
Content Credits
Most of these items are available from the Renderosity Marketplace (unless otherwise noted). Also note that not all items used in the artwork may be listed (just the ones I remember what they are and where they came from):
- SBRM Shorebirds Vol. 2 – Herons by Ken Gilliland
- SBRM Flock Formations 1 by Ken Gilliland
- SBRM Waterfowl Vol. 1 – Dabbling Ducks by Ken Gilliland
- Nature’s Wonders Water Lily Garden by Ken Gilliland
- Nature’s Wonders Frogs of the World Vol. 4 – Bullfrogs by Ken Gilliland
- Nature’s Wonders Turtles of the World Vol. 2 – New World Turtles
- Nature’s Wonders Dragonflies & Damselflies
- Nature’s Wonders Snakes of the World Vol. 3 – Snakes of the American South
- Flinks Instant Lake by Flink
This artwork is Copyright © 2026 Lizzie Prusaczyk & Dream 9 Art™.
All Rights Reserved.
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