I need to see these flowers, these things that I draw, in real life. That's part of what's wrong with the second flower; didn't use a reference photo. I never copy a photo anyway, but do look for cues on the shape and feel of the petals, the way they curl, twist, droop, etc. Seeing them in person is better, working from photo references gives a flat feel. There are a couple of places I could go for this: a public garden that is almost always in bloom or curbside plantings (too public!), along the hiking trails I frequent. The one that has the orchids, wild ginger, shade loving plants, I haven't been to at all this year, haven't been able to afford the gas. Wait...yeah we did, earlier this spring...my youngest son hugged the trees, petted the moss....managed to lock myself completely out of the van and we somehow managed to thread a bamboo fishing pole through the side window to push the back hatch button. That was stressful. Haven't gone all the way up this year though. The public garden is closer. It sort of comes down to wild vs domestic flowers and plants. There's a lot of wild ginger where I live...can find it there.

Really wish I had taken a picture of those centipedes mating, not so much because they were mating, but because of the brilliance of their orange bodies, the way they curled around and towards one another, the beautiful lines of those curves and the segments.