Nature Journaling

Our class today was held at the Arboretum, and the task was to find one flower and draw it from many perspectives, including a long view of its habitat. I chose this Flannel Bush (Fremontodendron californicum) because it was conveniently right on the path and I was intrigued by the color. I took many pictures to help with working at home, and then wasn't sure about the point of drawing it at all. Once I began, however, it was fascinating. There seem to be six petals, but it turns out one of the petals is joined to the sepal--you can't help but wonder why. The more you look, the more you see; the center parts are very complicated. It looks like once the petals dry up, a fuzzy light green seed emerges, but I could never find any that had burst or fallen to the ground. I envied the little green beetles for their very up-close view of it all. It would be fun to crawl over the surfaces of this flower, exploring its whole universe. The next task will be trying to get that color right.