Don Balke: American Golden Plover and Fireweed

Artist: Don Balke
1932 -
Nationality: American
Artwork Year: 1978
Image Size: 14.5 by 13.5 inches
Overall Size: 17 by 14 inches
Medium: Water Color on Cold Press Illustration Board

GOLDEN PLOVER Pluuialis dominica
Still clad in gold-spangled breeding plumage, the Golden Plover heads south in September on a phenomenal ocean flight from Nova Scotia to South America. Later, the young follow over land and sea to join the older birds in the pampas. Upon their return in the spring, they choose for their nest site a ridgetop on the open, Canadian tundra. Scratching a hollow in reindeer moss and lining it with other lichens, the birds make little attempt to conceal their nest from predators. At the turn of the century, the Golden Plover was nearly destroyed by hunters, but protection has now helped restore the species.

FIREWEED
Epilobium angustifolium
The Fireweed's bright, rosy purple flowers keep Canadian hillsides aflame from early spring until fall. Appropriately named, the Fireweed is often the first plant to spring up following a fire. The Fireweed ranges in height from one to eight feet, and thrives in Canadian roadside marshes and in burned-over scarred areas. The plant's light, fluffy seeds spill into the air like smoky clouds. Lance-shaped, olive-colored leaves provide the Fireweed an additional name, Willow Herbs. Originally from Eurasia, the Fireweed is now thoroughly established from the Yukon Territory south to Arizona.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood® commemorative cover for the Birds and Flowers of Canada - the Yukon Territory, cancelled June 13, 1978.

Artwork Copyright © 1978 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB05172

US$ Price: $1,250.00

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