Thank you for all the wonderful comments! It is surely a day brightener to read!
To answer a few questions, my son got his Masters in Biology with an Environmental Focus and his BS in Biology with a minor in Sustainable Studies in 4 1/2 years. He then worked for a year for the DEC in New York, but has been surplussed since Thanksgiving. Anybody looking for a great research scientist who likes to work in the field?
As for the quilting motifs, they are not completely original, but they are freehand. I found line (ish) drawings of flora and fauna on the internet. I then printed those out and used them for reference while I was quilting, usually with the drawing right next to the fabric nest I was working in!