Dandelion Botanical illustration - Taraxacum officionale

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm 

Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion (often simply called “dandelion”), is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae.

It can be found growing in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of water ways, and other areas with moist soils. T. officinale is considered a weed, especially in lawns and along roadsides, but it is sometimes used as a medical herb and in food preparation. Common dandelion is well known for its yellow flower heads that turn into round balls of silver tufted fruits that disperse in the wind called “blowballs” or “clocks” (in both British and American English).

During summer, when the Dandelions are in full flower, I mostly halt mowing the lawn, enjoying the spectacle of yellow flowers and then the beautiful blow-balls. And, like a child, I often pick them and blow them into the wind, revelling in the little umbrellas as they take off to start a new generation of Dandelions.

Dandelions are a Eurasian species now entrenched almost world-wide because of their excellent seed dispersal mechanism and ease of germination. Their crowded head of ray flowers produces numerous seeds, their low, wide basal leaves crowd-out competing plants, and thus the plant is often found in huge colonies.

ITEM ID : DandelionBotanical

Gum leaves - Botanical illustration

W&N watercolour on Amedeo 200gsm 

Bluegum leaves (Eucalyptus)
Dedicated to all Eucalypt and Bee-lovers!

A recent study by the SA National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) in South Africa has found that gum trees provide nectar and pollen for swarms of commercial bees – and bees in turn pollinate about 50 food crops in the country. This “service” bees provide is worth about R10.3 billion a year.

Gum trees are not only important food for bees, but so are many roadside wildflowers, crops, suburban flowering plants and those that many regard as weeds. A major reason for the decline of honey bees around the world is a lack of good forage plants to provide nectar, which is the carbohydrate in the bees’ diet, and pollen the protein. Bees collect nectar from Blue Gum tree blossoms from spring to late summer.

A lack of good quality and variety of forage plants can lead to unhealthy honey bee colonies that are more vulnerable to pests and diseases.

This in turn can lead to insufficient pollination of our important agricultural crop flowers, leading to a decreased yield or quality of the food crop, Insect pollinators are needed for 35 percent of all food production globally – or one of every three bites you eat.

Although most Bluegums have been declared as an invasive species in South Africa, Beekeepers are highly dependent on eucalyptus and if they are all removed because they are aliens it would mean a serious shortage of food for bees – with a knock-on effect on crop pollination.

Because of this, the Department of Environmental Affairs’ legislation on alien and invasive species, updated in 2014, is “nuanced” for eucalyptus trees, not requiring all of them to come under the axe or chainsaw.

ITEM ID : GumLeavesBotanical

The beauties of Nature

Tasmanian bluegum (Eucalyptus globulus) - Acrylic on Art board canvas 

This large, straight-trunked tree grows to about 70m tall in open forests in south-eastern Tasmania, on Bass Strait islands and in parts of southern Victoria. Its common name comes from the waxy blue-green colour of its juvenile leaves. The plant’s cream-coloured flowers are a good source of nectar for bees and the resultant honey is dense and strongly flavoured. Here in South Africa, this bluegum is widely planted as forage for our honey bee populations.

ITEM ID : BeautiesOfNatureAncrylic

Early-morning Bluegums

Acrylic on Bockingford 300gsm 

The first light of day sweeps across some bluegums (Eucalyptus trees) in Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa.

Bluegums play in important part in South Africa's economy as they provide forage for our threatened honey bee population. 

ITEM ID : EarlyMorningBluegumsAcrylic

PRICE : R650.00 postage included in South Africa

Evening Bluegums

W&N watercolour on Arches 300gsm 8" x 12"

Dedicated to all those who love early-evenings.

As the last of the sun’s rays filter through the Bluegum bush on our property, the forest floor turns into a play of light and shadow. I feel at peace here in nature…

ITEM ID : EveningBluegums
PRICE : R350.00 postage included in South Africa 

Magaliesberg cliffs

Acrylic painting on un-stretched canvas sheet 

A view of the Magaliesberg cliffs (NorthWest Province, South Africa), one of the few places where the White-backed Vulture still roams freely.

The Magaliesberg are among the oldest mountains in the world, almost 100 times older than Everest. They stretch for 120km from Bronkhorstspruit Dam east of Pretoria to Rustenburg in the west and separate the highveld grasslands to the south from the bushveld savannah in the north.

Sheer quartzite cliffs face south, overlooking a wide valley and a smaller ridge similar in shape and structure to the Magaliesberg.

ITEM ID : MagaliesbergCliffsAcrylic

The voice of the sea

Acrylic painting on Giverny 240gsm acrylic multi-medium paper 

The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.
_{- Kate Chopin, ‘The Awakening’}

Some of our most stunning beaches and wild seas are to be found in Ballito, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Unlike the beaches further North, the Dolphin Coast has the most wonderful rocks and boulders on the beaches, extending into the sea for some distance during low tide. Whenever I visit the area, I can spend hours on the rocks, just watching the motion of the sea.

To me it speaks of the mysteries of its depths, the countless lives that have been lost traversing its great expanse, lost treasure and the rich diversity of its animal life, sometimes evident in shells and strange bits and pieces washing ashore. What an awesome piece of our planet!

ITEM ID : VoiceOfTheSeaAcrylic