Aspen, Populus Tremula

Pencil and watercolour on paper, the image measures 24 x 30 cm.  It shows the shape of the mature tree and its summeer leaves.   The illustration of the leaf stem with flattened ends and the twist in the middle explains why the leaves are always twisting in the breeze.   The tree can thrive in heavily polluted industrial sites and clean it over time, storing the poisonous residues in its roots.   It also stabilises loose soil.  The painting is the original for one of the illustrations in the book "Plants for Soil  Regeneration" by Sally Pinhey, botanical artist and is copyright to Sally Pinhey.