I am in a sunshiny mood today, so I am painting peonies. These are some of the photos I am using as reference. I took them last summer when I visited Hilldene in Vermont. Hilldene is the beautiful home built by Abe Lincoln's son, and they have a peony festival every year in their lovely garden.
I love peonies. Don't they have beautiful ruffles? Such fun to paint! One of the other things I like about peonies is the symbiotic relationship they have with ants. A lot of people look at all the ants crawling over their peony bushes and think, "Yuck, I've got to get rid of those!". But actually, without ants, you won't have any flowers. The buds secrete a sweet sap that the ants chew off. If they don't chew it, the buds can't open. To me, things like that are wonderful signs of God's work. Aren't the inter-relationships in nature marvelous?
I love peonies too! If you ever come back to Hilldine, perhaps we can meet in person! I live 10 miles away.
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