A walk among nature’s gifts by Maya Barton

As I become more aware of native plants especially with an enormous wildlife value, I tread carefully in my unmanicured backyard discovering precious gems. I have learned to observe and document them carefully in watercolor. This is blue eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) which actually belongs in the Iris family. It stands about 10” tall with bright blue flowers attracting hummingbirds, butterflies and a variety of iridescent insects.

This is woodland poppy(Stylophorum diphylum) beautiful bright sunshine yellow. Another of nature’s gift to butterflies and bees. Let them be and they will spread beautifully. They are one of spring’s first debutantes beckoning warmth and color. The bees and butterflies spread their wings and happily dance around their first finds of pollen. The challenge here was to find the exact pigment combinations to match nature’s display.

Native Orchids in our own backyards. Calopogon Tuberosus loves a bit of wet feet and hangs around Carnivorous plants. The non-supinated (vertical upright labellum, normally supinated, twisted around in other orchids) magenta pink flowers have false stamens attracting the pollinators, the weight of which bends the labellum down to the sticky pollen to be picked up and taken to another flower. Orchids are complicated in structure playing up to nature’s pollination theatre.