In March of each year, Phipps Conservatory initiates their annual Flora project through their Botanical Art and Illustration certificate program. They select a theme and generate a plant list from which participants select a plant to study throughout the year. The end result is a 'plant portrait' that accurately includes plant parts for identification. On the left was my submission for their 2015 theme of native trees of Western PA: American Beech (Fagus grandifolia). On the right is my submission for their 2016 theme of native edibles: Pawpaw (Asimina triloba). Click on an image to see my process in developing these pieces.