Shelly carries a garden fork in the trunk of her car.

At all times.

Because she never knows when she’s going to come across a garden that needs aerating.

We’re not talking about the pitchfork made famous in Grant Wood’s American Gothic painting, with thin, sharp tines made for moving hay or straw. Shelly’s go-to gardening tool is the heavy-duty variety. Wielding this instrument of terrestrial perforation, Shelly is undeterred by roots, rocks, and compacted clay.

Her love affair with soil and all it produces began at birth, when her parents planted a willow tree in her honor. Today, she wears the “tree hugger” label like a badge of honor. A student of landscape architecture and horticulture therapy, Shelly now works for a nonprofit organization that teaches children and adults about gardening, urban farming, healthy eating and natural areas restoration.

Shelly believes that school gardens, community gardens and community orchards can lead to stronger, more resilient people and neighborhoods. I can dig it.

This is the latest installment in my “True Colors in Black and White” series, in which I create distinctive portraits that showcase each subject’s unique personality, profession, or avocation.