In early July I paid a visit to one of my favorite local refuges in east Tennessee to assist with a bird-banding session. The added bonus was discovering fields of sunflowers in full bloom that had been planted as food patches for wildlife.
I find sunflowers magical for many reasons. First of all they are artsy, and full of character with all those unruly petals framing a head full of tiny blossoms. What we normally consider the bloom on this plant is really an inflorescence or head with from 1,000 to 2,000 blooms attached to its base.
Strolling through sunflowers and seeing all the different stages and shapes is magical. But there is the practical aspect of a July stroll, as well. The temps rise very quickly in a sunny field and there are plenty of biting and stinging insects. Amazingly, I left this visit with only one crawling tick, but plenty of contentment and reference images!
Links and references:
Visit my post
"Sunflower Study" at
Vickie's Sketchbook to see more about this study.
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus)
The butterfly in the image is an
American Lady, most easily identified by the two prominent spots on the lower under wing.
Hi Vickie,
ReplyDeleteI subscribe to your blog but forget to check in with comments. I really appreciate what you do with bird banding and the like, but mostly enjoy your art. Thanks for sharing,
xoxo
Thank you, Vicki. I recognize your name. I'm a lurker more than a commenter, as well. Appreciate your visits and thank you!
ReplyDeleteVickie, gorgeous sunflower! Your colors are wonderful and the contrast of the butterfly is brilliant! Paula in VA
ReplyDeleteHi Vickie,
ReplyDeleteYou painted a beauty of a sunflower!
Simply stunning, Vickie!
ReplyDeleteVery nice this embrace!
ReplyDeletejust love this and reminds me how fun they are to paint. Can't wait to pull my out again
ReplyDeleteWEll done. I love all the color.
ReplyDelete