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murshili-ii · 1 year

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Mother’s Day special: Under the Willows

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Our nineteenth Spring Vignettes piece celebrates Mother’s Day, on May 14th.

Before you read what the piece was intended to portray, share what it portrays to _you_. I’m just the artist; you’re the beholder.

Leave a comment.

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By this point, I am scraping the barrel for unused background colors. I determined that there were only two arguably distinct colors left: lime, and cyan. No, it’s not green; I used a green background for Old Man of the Forest. This is neither green nor yellow. It’s the color of very fresh leaves.

This piece celebrates motherhood by centering a duck, one of many fine examples of maternal care. A mother duck will rarely abandon her ducklings; she will hiss at anything that tries to threaten them, and subsequently attack, even if the enemy is much greater in size. Do not bother the ducklings. Leave the ducklings alone.

Ducklings imprint on their mother upon hatching, and follow her everywhere until they reach maturity. By fledging-time, they’ll have learned everything a duck needs to know. Ducklings can swim straight out of the egg; their dense downy plumage makes them water-resistant and buoyant, and makes them feel all spongy when you squeeze them. After the whole clutch has hatched, the first thing a mother duck will usually do is head straight for the nearest water.

Meanwhile, male ducks (drakes) typically leave to do their own things after they mate. This is largely for the best, as their showy plumage could endanger the nest and the ducklings, whereas female ducks are less conspicuous.

These particular ducks are mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), a successful and widespread species found throughout the temperate world. Mallard drakes are known for their brilliantly green heads. Female mallards are well-camouflaged, and can easily blend in while on the nest, and subsequently while leading ducklings.

I naturally decided to place the mother duck and ducklings in a vibrant wetland setting. Wetlands are among the most biologically productive ecosystems on earth, competing only with rainforests and estuaries, and their biodiversity is immense. They team with life, both flora and fauna. There’s a lot to see in this picture.

The orange flowers featured in the frame as well as in the scene are American tiger lilies (Lilium superbum), which, unlike the similar Asiatic tiger lilies (Lilium lancifolium), are native to North American ecosystems. They like to grow where it’s a little bit wet.

Willows are also very fond of growing in wet soil. They do well where other trees drown. Willows form the hanging canopy of the background; and the struts of the frame are made out of intertwined willow-withes.

You’ll undoubtedly have spotted the red-winged blackbird overhead; their distinctive call is one of the surest signs of spring. Only the males have brilliant red shoulders. The brighter the color, the healthier the bird.

You’ll also have noticed the turtle resting on a log. Freshwater turtles enjoy sunning themselves on logs during the day. Popular logs will become piled with turtles. This is a small turtle; far too small to be a mature snapping turtle; probably a more benign sort of turtle.

Obviously no swamp would be a swamp without a quorum of at least five frogs. These large green frogs could plausibly be bullfrogs. You know spring has fully set in when you hear the chorus of frog-calls from every nearby wetland. During the breeding season, male pond-frogs stake out little territories, and defend them viciously; constantly loudly announcing their claims to rivals and potential mates, and every bystander for a thousand yards.

But did you notice the swimming muskrat? Muskrats make burrows in river-banks, and spend most of their time traveling by water in search of tasty water-plants. As large water-loving rodents, muskrats greatly resemble beavers, but actually belong to the same family as voles, hamsters, and lemmings; whereas beavers are more closely related to kangaroo rats and pocket gophers.

Perhaps you were perceptive enough to notice the ruby-throated hummingbird. Only males of the species exhibit the brilliant ruby throats for which they are named; female ruby-throated hummingbirds have entirely white throats instead. All ruby-throated hummingbirds have magnificent green plumage. If you should ever happen upon a hummingbird nest, you’ll find that it’s the tiniest nest you ever saw. They make them using spider-silk.

American tiger lilies are known to be an important source of nectar for hummingbirds at certain times of year.

Birds and mammals, in general, are united by the common fact of raising their young from infancy; and as such, it is a necessity of life that they be capable of tender love at least one time in their lives. If you ask me, it’s little wonder that many mammals and birds have become highly social by extending that affectionate capacity to other adults. After all, mammals and birds have the foundations of community inherent in their lifecycle.

Motherhood is a wonderful thing to celebrate.

#mothers_day #mother #duck #ducklings #frogs #tiger_lilies #willows #swamp #wetlands #spring #springholidays #digitalart #vector #mosaic #collage #inkscape

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