Author Gene Stratton-Porter was a noted amateur naturalist and a pioneering nature photographer and she poured her love and knowledge of the Creation into each of her books. Most enchanting are the vivid desciptions of the moths and butterflies of the Limberlost which Elnora, the main character in A Girl of the Limberlost, collects to fund her education.

Elnora’s lovely character makes her one of my favorite literary heroines. She is independent, intelligent, determined, and a wonderful example. While some parts of the book are a bit outdated, and maybe a little too sentimental, the themes are still timeless. Elnora is a neglected girl growing up in rural Indiana on the edge of the Limberlost Swamp. She faces lots of hardships but meets each challenge with courage and matures to learn the value of perseverance, creativity, education, love, and the wonder and beauty of the Creation.

But it is without a doubt, the detailed descriptions of the natural world in which she lives, the Limberlost Swamp, that make me love this book the most and upon rereading it as an adult I was amazed at the obvious influence it played in my developing view of the world and my role in it.

So this is how I came to name my website Limberlost Design. My ideas most often stem from nature and the way in which I view it. And like Elnora I enjoy sharing my "finds"---my collection of winged creatures and such---with collectors from around the world. I believe that art, like nature, can make us pause, forget our troubles for a moment, and thereby make the world a little better, one quiet breath at a time.

Book Excerpt:
“Yes,” said the Bird Woman, “I will buy them, also the big moth caterpillars that are creeping everywhere now, and the cocoons that they will spin just about this time. I have a sneaking impression that the mystery, wonder, and the urge of their pure beauty, are going to force me to picture and paint our moths and put them into a book for all the world to see and know. We Limberlost people must not be selfish with the wonders God has given to us.”

(P.S. I so much valued the imagery my own mind created when I read this book as a child that I chose to never view the movie adaptation....the books are always better, aren't they?)