Red cage fungus (Clathrus ruber), seen today in the woods of central France.

A greater butterfly orchid I just found on a roadside in central France. The flowers cling to their stem like little white butterflies poised for flight:

A lizard orchid I found today in the hills of central France. Look closely and you can see the lizards' faces, legs and tails.

A pair of wild irises (Iris reichenbachii) I painted in oils a few years ago, inspired by an encounter with the plant at the foot of Mount Olympus.

An oil painting of Rafflesia meijeri I've just completed:

My day:

Today my Orbea succulent sent a star out into the world:

The interior of Rafflesia, the world's largest flower, is something not of this world:

Arisaema ringens announcing its arrival at Kew with its boxing gloves on:

When plants make art on the sly:

Whiling away an hour in a cathedral of trees at the one and only Kew Gardens

“Thorogood’s work takes him on weeks-long treks through remote, inhospitable rainforests in Indonesia and the Philippines to locate these flowers.”

🖊️ Sophie McBain
newstatesman.com/environment/th…

My illustration of a Negev iris (Iris mariae) from a few years ago. I deliberately left the sand-coloured background bare to show how this flower stands out in its natural habitat.

An oil painting I completed a few years ago of a tropical orchid (Aeridostachya robusta) I saw in Borneo.

I'll be interviewing the adventurer and plant hunter extraordinaire Chris Thorogood about his latest and terrific book, Pathless Forest Hay Festival on Sun 26th May. Expect botanical fireworks.

hayfestival.com/p-21729-chris-…

If you don't believe in magic, come see our jade vine.

Konjac and me.

Earth Day: Meet the botanist on a quest to save the world's largest flower from extinction
standard.co.uk/lifestyle/eart…

Oil paintings of rare Indonesian Rafflesia species I've completed this morning:

Giant fennel is common in the hills of Sicily. Its inch-thick stems rise to the height of people. Seeing it always gives me a thrill.