Virginia Creeper

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Saunders paper, sketched and painted from a photo I took in the Lincoln National Forest several years ago. The red vine known as Virginia creeper appears throughout the forest. Related to grapevines, the plants are heaven for birds and insects, providing food and roosting opportunities where it grows freely. Native plants host a wider variety of native wildlife, and climbers such as these are shelter. They first begin growing as green leafed then turn to red around autumn. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith