heartshaped green leaves of kawakawa

Kawakawa


One perfect kawakawa leaf amongst it's holey siblings, 400mm, f2.8, 160s, ISO 400, 0EV, ​#artofbirding2020 #aob2020week2
Some people dislike the holey nature of kawakawa (Piper excelsum), but I think it gives this under-rated native shrub some personality. Each leaf is uniquely carved out by the every-hungry kawakawa looper moth caterpillar. The birds adore the fruit and I adore a nice cup of peppery Kawakawa Fire tea.

It's week 2 in the 2020 Art of Birding challenge, and it was a simple one - to get inspired by leafy greens. Though my apologies to our snowed-in Northern Hemisphere participants who had much more of a challenge on their hands. I'm so glad so many of you were able to uncover some evergreen leaves.

I love taking photos of leaves, and often use them in my art by overlaying them with textures and collaging them to make leaf arrangements. Two examples are:
Photoart of kaka amongst leaves
Photo-art of a bird on a branch with spider web
Do you have a favourite leaf?
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