8x8" archival giclee prints, titled and signed at the bottom of the image.
 
Carolina Wild Petunia is the local native plant that Malachite butterflies can host on in Florida! This stunning butterfly ranges through Central and South America and the Caribbean, and is thought to have migrated here to Florida from Cuba recently when its Cuban host plant, the Green Shrimp Plant also appeared here. The Green Shrimp Plant is invasive in Florida, so the Carolina Wild Petunia is thought to be a good alternative for gardeners here.
 
I first learned the story of the species from Flamingo Gardens in Broward County, where they rear Malachites in their Butterfly Conservatory (my image references for the painting come from there!) and I was told about the Carolina Wild Petunia while there, but they didn’t have much of it growing in the garden at the time. 2 years later I was excited to find the plant was in stock at Florida Nursery Mart (a native plant store just down the street from Flamingo Gardens). I bought a plant, photographed it at home over several weeks, and those are the references that I used for this piece!
 
Check out this blog post for process pics: https://www.kimheise.com/post/process-of-several-art-projects-2025