The Flannel Flower isn’t a daisy, it’s an Australian native plant found around the sandstone heathland of coastal New South Wales and Queensland. It’s a true native because it readily thrives after bushfires and produces a profuse flowering in spring.

The soft white petals of the flower remind me of luxurious velvet cloth. In this artwork the flower is host to a busy group of ladybugs who are enjoying the bright morning sunshine. The blurred background is a sandstone rock garden with magenta Pacific Coast daises and the green fronds from Balga grass plants (referred to as Australian Black Boys).

The colours of the flannel flower buds are subtle with soft greens and shades of light blue grey. This native flower has a simplicity to its colours, making it easy to understand why it’s valued for giving a pleasing contrast to brighter flowering plants like the daisy.

It’s a pretty flower that’s been favoured by Sydney siders since colonisation and has been used as a floral emblem in artwork for centuries. Residents living in the Warringah area of Sydney would recognise the flower as it was used as the emblem from 1994 - before the recent council merger in 2017.

Available at these two fine on-line galleries

Art Lovers Australia

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