Taxonomic and artistic excellence

Two different approaches from skilled artists

Stella Ross-Craig

A prolific English illustrator of native flowers, Stella Ross-Craig is still regarded by many as the unbeatable queen of British botanical art. Her educational series of 31 paperbacks, Drawings of British Plants, displays almost all British flowering species,

Ross-Craig researched each plant to ensure she magnified essential features ( below). She drew almost all of her work from dried specimens but if she did ever visit the field, it could involve waiting months to capture both the inflorescence and the fruit. Her work stands out in the field of scientific illustration because she produced comprehensive depictions of each plant’s diagnostic features, with trustworthy clarity.

Cicely Mary Barker

Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies series ( right) opened people’s eyes to Britain’s wild flowers, bringing their stories alive with poetry, art and a keen eye for botany.

The English artist and botanist produced outstandingly accurate, intricate, analytical details of plant anatomy, weaving real natural history into beautiful fantasy illustrations. She modelled real miniature costumes out of the blossoms, and drew her fairies from them. The results showcased each plant’s story, character, nature, habitat, folklore and uses. The books were mostly published over four decades, from 1923, with several more posthumously. The educational series is loved by children, parents, artists and naturalists. O Find out more: discoverwildlife. com/botanicalbooks