A watercolor study of a bur oak leaf shows its signature characteristics as well as signs of being snacked on.
There they were. Scattered all over the grass were wilting green leaves from a towering oak tree. They were some of the first to fall this year, having yet to transition into oranges and browns as so many leaves do in autumn. Shapes and sizes varied, but their signature shape of being wide at the top with unpronounced lobes and a pronounced “waist” was evident. Being on the ground, I had easy access to them for studying.
The underside of the leaves sometimes held eggs. Not all were occupied. Some were mere shells, hollow orbs with an exit chewed away. The former occupants are now crawling, flying, burrowing, or doing whatever their species does after hatching.
I made a quick watercolor painting of one of the bur oak leaves. Brown and orange lines and dots, signs of arthropod activity, were included on the otherwise cool green specimen. My model had a single hole near the bottom and a piece chewed away at the top. While visibly absent, the presence of hungry arthropods was evident, and that was fun to render. The marks they left behind might be seen as imperfections to some, but I find that they provide character.