#ForestBloomsPh Philippine Native Flowering Trees Art Awareness Campaign
#ForestBloomsPh – Raising Awareness for the Beauty and Protection of Native Flowering Trees
The Philippine Forest Blooms planner (c.2018) featuring our own native trees such as Malabulak, Narra, Ilang-ilang, etc. It’s already out of print, but you can purchase the digital PDF edition here.
From Forest Blooms to Forest Fruits! This 30-piece postcard set features not-so-well-known fruits and seeds of Philippine native fruit-bearing trees.
The Foundation also supported limited-run brand collaboration projects like the Philippine Forest Produce Tote between me and SLO STORE. Aryann of SLO designed the market tote, while I provided illiustrations of food produced from native trees and plants such as Himbabao, Pako, and Niyog-niyogan.
I was excited to partner with Blue Flame Handcrafted for the Forest Blooms Jewelry Collection which the Foundation supported too. Janette of Blue Flame did the metal crafting while I provided the native tree graphics of familiar flora such as Banaba and Katmon.
Another collab project the Foundation supported was the Philippine Forest Blooms Embroidery Kit with CraftMNL. I provided the native flora illustrations while Marielle of CraftMNL designed the embroidery stitchwork.
To help introduce Philippine native trees to children, together with Gabby of Happy Cow Games we came up with a memory game app called ForesTree!
The Foundation had planned to hold painting workshops and tree walks with me in 2020, but then the pandemic hit. To offer something meaningful while keeping everyone safe at home, I created an undated planner and nature appreciation journal called Philippine Forest Reflections, designed to help people feel closer to nature.
One memorable project during the pandemic was creating face masks printed with my forest-themed illustrations. A friend told me about her dressmaker friend who was looking for work and extra income at the time, and could make and print face masks. So, I organized preorders (multiple times!) and we produced hundreds of them, helping build community while spreading love for our native species.
When Typhoon Ulysses hit in 2020, I learned about the many families affected by the flooding. I decided to offer prints of the Forest Blooms and Fruits illustrations as a small way to help, and with the support of kind-hearted people, we were able to raise Php 75,000 in just 24 hours. All the proceeds were sent directly to the victims through the Kaya Natin Movement, and deposit slips and receipts are shared on this post.
The photo on the right shows the framed prints beautifully displayed in a lovely home, kindly shared by one of our generous supporters.
Some of the advocacy items I’ve created with funds raised from the initial products include Forest Blooms, Fruits, and Birds pocket notebooks and enamel pins. These items are still being produced and are available for purchase anytime in the shop.
#ForestBloomsPh is a collaborative campaign launched with Forest Foundation Philippines to raise awareness for the beauty and importance of Philippine native flowering trees in forest conservation.
We began with producing illustrated items like the Philippine Forest Blooms planner and hosting watercolor workshops and drawing contests that showcase indigenous flowering trees, many of which are endangered. The campaign uses art and education to inspire appreciation and protection of our native flora, especially reaching out to young people.
We brought lesser-known native flowering trees like the Salingbobog, Malabulak, and Ipil into everyday life by featuring my illustrations of them on notebooks, postcard sets, tote bags, and even face masks during the pandemic — helping people feel a little closer to nature despite the distance. Later, we expanded our focus to include Forest Fruits and Forest Birds,s, highlighting their important roles in keeping forests healthy and thriving.
Proceeds from these merchandise sales go right back into supporting forest conservation and funding the creation of more advocacy items to keep the movement growing.
Proof that we take our research seriously! Me with the FFP team taking a taxonomy workshop in UST.
Huge thanks to the amazing FFP Project Management Team for supporting and guiding me every step of the way. <3
– Schenley Anne Belmonte
– Diane Estephanie Bagui
– Bryan Joel Mariano
– Ana Veronica Gabriel
– Marjorie Pamplona
– Eric Buduan
– Dennis Rosales
– Heidi Mendoza
– Atty. Jose Andres Canivel
* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there!
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