Zebra Longwing and Penta

The focus of this piece is a spectacular Zebra Longwing, with wings fully open, sipping nectar from a Deep Pink Penta Flower. Once again, my inspiration for this piece came from one of my visits to the Butterfly house at Texas Discovery Gardens. I love the contrast of the massed pink penta against the black of the Zebra Longwing. This is one of my favorite pieces, but who am I kidding, all my paintings are each my favorite piece, in there own special way. The Zebra Longwing is the mascot butterfly for Texas Discovery Gardens. It is actually a poisonous species due to the host plant it feeds on, they advertise this with their brilliant black and yellow- white markings. Slow but dignified, the Zebra Longwing is a weak flier. Long antennae and a slender body are typical of these butterflies, which are at home in the tropics, but can sometimes be found as far north as Kansas. The Penta, is an evergreen bush (Alas, not here in North Texas) that, in warm climates, will light up the landscape all year with colorful star-shaped clusters. Hummingbirds and butterflies will often visit the Penta blooms before they visit other flowering plants. Although penta can survive an occasional light frost, it won’t tolerate a hard freeze. If you live in a cold climate, either grow Penta as an annual or plant it in a container and bring it indoors for the winter. These plants are great nectar plants for most any butterfly or hummingbird. Plant some this spring, the rewards are endless!

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Enjoy a the work in progress:

it's taking shape

working on the penta

The beginning