Once there was a protea tree, whose dappled shade kept me close to my subject. There I sat shielded from a scorching sun, sketching and colour matching a great deceiver…
Growing one orchid to every 50 watsonias on top of a mountain, Disa pulchra mimics the watsonias in shape, size and colour. Where the watsonias are filled with nectar, the orchid lacks any floral reward. By its clever technique of mimicry, the orchid attracts the horsefly, tricking it to pollinate its flowers!
#orchids #pollination #southafricanflora #southafricanwomen #southafricanartist #disa #rhsbursaries 
