Oil on canvas, 36” x 48”, 2023

$3,000

The fire poppy belongs to a group of plants known as “fire followers:” those that use the heat, smoke or charred soil as signals to sprout. Their seeds lie dormant for years, often decades, then when the fire hits, it sends a message to begin germination. For Fire Poppies, the signal comes from smoke. For other fire followers, the heat of a blaze can crack open the hard coating on a seed. Fire Poppies may only bloom for a day or two once they have blossomed. Also represented in this painting is the annual herb commonly seen in burn areas, the Large-flowered Phacelia, it can only be found between Santa Barbara County and northern Baja California. Similar to the caterpillar phacelia, this species is stimulated by heat shock.