New Botanical Illustrations in my Watercolor Sketchbook

I hope you have been enjoying spring weather in your part of the world, this week I am posting a video that is a little different! I have done my best to create "a story" of how I find plants in nature that become my botanical illustrations and paintings. Come along with me for a walk in the woods. I'll show you how I set up my art supplies and create watercolour and ink illustrations for a sketchbook page featuring spotted coralroot (Corallrhiza maculata). This is a wild orchid that grows natively in my area and is a saprophyte, this is how it survives with no leaves! Curious what that means? Keep reading below to find out!
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Spotted Coral Root Orchid (Corallorhizea maculata) is a saprophyte, a plant that roots in dead material, symbiotically sharing its substrate with fungi. “Coral root” refers to the stubby roots looking like branched coral (Gadd 302).
Saprophytes cannot be cultivated. Because of their dependency on decaying matter, coral roots will grow wherever dead material happens to be. In other words, this plant may be “abundant in one part of the forest floor one year and completely absent the next year” (Parish 282).
The term ‘spotted’ (maculate) refers to the spots seen on the flowers (Parish 283). Another distinctive feature is the lack of any green parts (leaves).
Sources:
Gadd, Ben. Handbook of the Canadian RockiesParish, Coupé, Lloyd. Plants of Southern Interior B.C.
Waskahegan Trail Association. "Spotted Coral Root Orchid." Waskahegan Trail, 28 Aug. 2019, ​waskahegantrai.... Accessed 30 May 2024.
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[@LauraWatsonArt]

Let me know what you think of this new style of video!

[@loriannferraioli2698]

Beautiful. Thank you.

[@LauraWatsonArt]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@alvaroecheverria5630]

Excellent. A complete process of great art that needs no words. Thank you for sharing and I will be eagerly awaiting those to come. Thank you very much.

[@LauraWatsonArt]

Thanks for the great feedback

[@celticpeasant9753]

I love this style of video Laura - it was beautiful and soothing to watch. It was slow enough that I could understand and see what you were doing. Thank you. Loved it

[@LauraWatsonArt]

Aww thank you, I appreciate the feedback

[@rosehenry3903]

Shame it was midnight here in Western Australia I missed live so now catch up
Thank you

[@LauraWatsonArt]

Hope you enjoyed it

[@fuzzydragons]

5:33 OWL!!🥰

[@LauraWatsonArt]

It's a lovely barred owl 🦉