Seagrape leaf

Seagrape leaf, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.

In the spring, the combination of cold temperatures and dry conditions cause the occasional leaf on the seagrape tree to turn the most vivid colors. I read somewhere that the circular and sometimes heart-shaped leaves turn red around Valentine’s Day, and that people have turned the brightly colored leaves into natural valentines, scratching or writing verses and sentiments right onto the leaf itself. I don’t know if this is true or not, but it’s a charming thought!

If you’d like to read more about our tropical seagrape tree, please visit my previous post here.  This is another one that describes drawing a sea grape leaf and foreshortening.

Thank you, too, for all of your get-well thoughts and wishes!

You can click on the caption under the image to view it in different sizes on my Flickr photostream.

Other references of interest:

Tropilab, an exotic importer

The Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce