I decided to take up a tarot project, as something to work on that’s simple and relaxing. The cards will all be based on native animals of the southern United States, with a focus on our iconic and endemic species.

The Fool represents new beginnings and potential.

This card features the southern hognose snake, Heterodon simus, which is known for playing dead as a defense mechanism. If you roll one on its stomach while it's playing dead, it will turn back over as if to insist it's really dead. Hognose snakes are often mistaken for venomous snakes and killed, and they are currently listed as a vulnerable species.

The border is made up of flowers of the southern magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, which is one of the oldest types of flower in the world. The species actually predates bees, and scientists believe its unique shape and structure evolved to encourage pollination by beetles. The magnolia is the official state flower of Mississippi and Louisiana, and is common throughout the South.