By Amira El Khateeb

“Have fun with images, they are meant to be used, any way you imagine, the day is full of possibilities.” With these words, Tom Reaume ended his letter to donate his drawings from the book 620 Wild Plants of North America to the Canadian Museum of Nature. 

Tom Reaume was born in Windsor, Ontario in 1944 and passed away in London, Ontario on August 30, 2021. In addition to being a wildlife biologist and professor, Reaume considered himself to be a self-taught botanist, abstract artist, and photographer.  

Two side-by-side illustrations of a fly, one rough sketch in pencil and one more detailed in ink.
Left: Tom’s initial pencil sketch and notes of an unidentified fly. Right: final inked drawings that appear in 620 Wild Plants of North America. Image: Tom Reaume © Canadian Museum of Nature

Looking back on his work, Reaume was a one-man show. He did the research, fieldwork, layouts, proofreading, drawings, and inking. He even created interactive free eBooks using graphics software. His passion for whatever he was presenting was clear in every single detail of his work.  

In 2010, Tom Reaume received The Ralph Bird award for his book 620 Wild Plants of North America. This award was created in 1985 to recognize Dr. Bird’s contribution to natural history in Canada. The board ascertained that Reaume had similar contributions to Dr. Bird for serving the natural history of Canada and sharing his knowledge. 

“To increase our awareness of the green-and-blue planet that sustains us, it is our privilege to raise at dawn, breakfast, and travel under June’s Sapphire sky to the nearest natural area.” 

Reaume, T. (2009). In 620 wild plants of north America: Fully illustrated (pp. 9–9). preface, Canadian Plains Research Centre, University of Regina. 
Two side-by-side illustrations (one rough sketch in pencil, one more detailed in ink) of a plant with 10 small teardrop leaves and three flowers coming from the centre.
Left: Tom’s initial pencil sketch and notes for Plantago major, Common Plantain. Right: final inked drawings that appear in 620 Wild Plants of North America. Image: Tom Reaume © Canadian Museum of Nature

His awarded book was the result of 10 years of hard work. Reaume had been travelling across the provinces, searching and sketching species of wild vascular plants during the summer, then doing the layout and research during the winter. Ten thousand penciled and inked sketches were drafted and mapped during that time. 

 “The value of this book, therefore, goes far beyond its illustration of 620 species. Its greater value is in opening the door to understanding the unique morphological features of plants in all the major families represented in the flora of central North America.” 

Reaume, T., & Vetter, M. A. (2009). In “620 Wild Plants of North America:: Fully illustrated (pp. 8–8). foreword, Canadian Plains Research Centre, University of Regina. 

The aim of this book, as mentioned by Reaume, is to serve as a reference for anyone who wants to learn about certain plants and get detailed information supported with illustrated pictures of them. He wanted learning plant taxonomy to be easy and accessible for everyone, regardless of their professional or educational background.  

Two side-by-side illustrations (one rough sketch in pencil, one more detailed in ink) of an oak leaf, two branches and three acorn seeds.
Left: Tom’s initial pencil sketch and notes for Quercus macrocarpa, Bur Oak. Right: final inked drawings that appear in 620 Wild Plants of North America. Image: Tom Reaume © Canadian Museum of Nature

620 Wild Plants of North America could be described as a user-friendly picture book, with detailed sketches of the 620 species, each labeled by the name of their parts. The plants are alphabetically arranged by their 89 families, supported by botanical maps of the plant ranges, representing the location where they were collected. At the end, is an index with the names of all the plants presented in four styles: common names, alternate common name, Latin name and Latin synonym.  

“Art is the universal language, and careful drawings after life are made in the image of nature itself, universally accessible to all.” 

Reaume, Tom, and DICKENSON,1998. 620 Wild Plants of North America: Fully Illustrated, Canadian Plains Research Centre, University of Regina, Regina, SK, 2009. 
Two side-by-side illustrations (one rough sketch in pencil, one more detailed in ink) of an American crow feather.
Left: Tom’s initial pencil sketch and notes for American crow feather. Right: final inked drawings that appear in 620 Wild Plants of North America. Image: Tom Reaume © Canadian Museum of Nature

The Canadian Museum of Nature decided to document Reaume’s art by digitizing the 10,000 sketches in 620 Wild Plants of North America, which he had preciously donated to us. A selection of these are available for viewing through Google Arts and Culture.  

I was super lucky to work on this project. I will never forget the moment I first opened the box of sketches; I was instantly enchanted. Every time I start scanning a sketch and read the notes on the sides, I imagine the location of that sketch. I see the pencil sketched plants, coloured, swaying in the summer breeze or flourishing under the drizzle of rain. I also see Tom Reaume bent at the knees, his shadow reflected by the clear sun, holding a magnifier, spotting details and writing down notes in his elegant cursive handwriting. When I see his work, I remember the words: “life is always full of possibilities.”