Just a sketch to understand the parts and pieces, ray flowers and disc flowers... Draw the mid-vein first... understand the leaf... no... be the leaf... I am the leaf...=] Done in Photoshop first to get all the references into a Frankenstein-esque beginning. [...]
It's hard to see or describe what's going on inside an Indigo Bush (Psorothamnus schottii) flower. Probably because it's hidden inside the keel of the flower. But you'll definitely notice the bright orange anthers sticking out against the deep blue/purple of the petals. [...]
The second design in the botanical illustration series of desert flowers: Nemacladus rubescens. This tiny flower sure does pack a punch! Nemacladus rubescens There is SO much going on with this little flower. Just check out the Jepson Herbarium's description of [...]
Some sweet looking Acacia, with it's infructescence not spent, said "my get up and go, just got up and went". If you like the featured image, then feast your eyes on this! And this is a detail from the featured image.
If we could have a small area in our garden dedicated to Nemacladus, including Nemacladus tenuis, we would! These little wildflowers have A LOT of personality. Nemacladus tenuis, close up These pictures don't do it justice, but the Nemacladus rubescens [...]
As with all tiny flowers, the Nemacladus glanduliferus was hard to capture on camera, especially with an iPhone camera! The lightest breeze or breath will send it quivering. But it sure is pretty. It seems that all the flowers in this genus [...]
Who would've thought that this little shrub would pack such a punch in terms of fragrance! Fagonia laevis, a native to California, is a cousin of the Creosote bush. It blooms from March to May and grows in a most symmetrical pattern. Fagonia [...]
The Snow flower, or Snow plant, (Sarcodes sanguinea) inhabits mountainous regions from Oregon down to California. They are found growing near conifers as a parasitic plant that derives nutrients from the mycorrhizal fungi attached to the roots of trees. We normally see them [...]
Intriguing little patterns dancing all over my head. With dreams of Fagonia Laevis growing in a pot next to my bed. Trying to do a 2D pattern required some adjustment, and voila! A Fagonia pattern!
A botanical geometry, by a maniacal geoffrey. Fagonia laevis (California fagonbush) has this awesome branching method with two leaves on the outside, followed inwardly by two sub-stalks, and then a bud/inflorescence/infructescence. Some of the pictures I've taken show two anthers out of eight [...]
It is possible to download this .pdf here
While not native to California, the Baja Spurge (Euphorbia xanti) is native to Baja! The beautiful little flowers rise up on top of the branches and smell like jasmine.
Blooming rosy apricot mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) and burrow bush (Ambrosia dumosa).
