The art and science of botanical illustration and identification: developing an illustrated handbook to the iconic wildflowers of Muogamarra Nature Reserve

‘The Art and Science of Botanical Illustration and Identification: Developing a Handbook to the Iconic Wildflowers of Muogamarra Nature Reserve’, is an exploration into the visual nature of plant identification. The purpose of this project is to produce detailed and scientifically accurate coloured botanical plates that represent a carefully selected variety of iconic understory plant species found in Muogamarra Nature Reserve. Each plate features the flower, leaves, fruit and seed from a single species, and is illustrated using traditional methods of painting with watercolour on paper. The aim is to capture the essence of each plant for quick identification without the need for dissections, or excessively detailed textual descriptions. After thorough investigation, I have concluded that there is very little illustrative information available to the public that describes the native flora growing in bushland within Muogamarra Nature Reserve and this project aims to correct this gap in knowledge.