Artwork > Printmaking

BuckeyeTree
California Buckeye (Aesculus californica) trees are truly adapted to California’s seasons, putting on growth in the winter rainy season when the soil is wet, flowering when it warms at the start of spring, and dropping their leaves entirely in the summer dry season. The vigorous blossoming of erect, cream-colored inflorescences is reminiscent of a fireworks display with the flowers crooked but rhythmically arranged. A sweet, soapy smell attracts butterflies and bumblebees. I really enjoy driving along Carmel Valley Road during the buckeye blossom and seeing all the different tree personalities. After the leaves have all dropped they give another display in fall. Wrinkly pods on the tips of the branches open to reveal shiny, brown seeds, toxic to any would-be grazers. When the rains come and saturate the earth, the radicle emerges from the seed, searches for the ground, and takes root.