Early and Stream Violets

You might say that a trail of ants led me to these Pacific Northwest native violets and butterfly. Last year I painted the native, Wild Ginger featuring some ants crawling on its roots, which seemed appropriate since Wild Ginger is propagated by ants. I wanted to not only describe the wild ginger’s ‘personality’, or form and flowering habit, in my portrait, but include one of its close associates as well…the ant…since that insect is part of the plant’s story.

Early and Stream Violets with Oregon Silverspot butterfly and caterpillar. The Early Violet has violet-colored flowers and the the Stream Violet has bright yellow flowers. This is a watercolor painting on Kelmscott vellum.

I became interested in other plants that are ant propagated, and stumbled upon the violet family.  While researching native violets, I found that the survival of the federally declared threatened butterfly, the Oregon Silverspot, is dependent on the Early Violet or Viola adunca because the Silverspot caterpillar’s only food is Viola adunca leaves. The loss of habitat of the Early Violet has greatly reduced the Silverspot caterpillars food source. I blogged about it here.

I also included the yellow -flowered Stream Violet, Viola glabella, in the painting because the Silverspot pollinates both violets and I liked the interplay of colors and different plant forms within the same family.  I decided to leave out the ants in this painting so as not to distract from the story of the butterfly.

Oregon Silverspot Butterfly, Speryeria zerene hippolyta

Silverspot caterpillar

Early Violet or Viola adunca blossom, with tiny hairs at its throat

Stream Violet or Viola glabella blossom and bud

This is the most complex painting that I have attempted thus far and I must say that I am very relieved to finally have it finished. I plan to paint a companion piece next year featuring another threatened butterfly, but will wait until spring so I can paint from life the springtime wildflowers that it pollinates .

Hmmm…I wonder where the next ant trail will lead me…