This painting depicts two species, Leafy Sea Dragons and the Yellow-tailed black cockatoo sharing a time and a space in mutual awe of each others' uniqueness, specialness and beauty. The title of this painting is "Leafy Decorum".
Leafy Sea Dragons (affectionately called Leafies) are probably the most ornately camouflaged animals on this earth. They have leaf shaped appendages attached to their entire bodies to superbly camouflage themselves among the seaweed and kelp they live amongst. They are endemic to Tasmania and the waters off south and east mainland Australia. They are closely related to seahorses and pipefish.
Like seahorses, it is the male sea dragons that incubate the eggs and carry them for four to six weeks until they release miniature sea dragons into the water.
So many divers took them to keep as pets that their numbers plummeted to critical levels, sparking the Australian Government to put complete protection on the species in the early 1900s.
Quality prints of "Leafy Decorum" are available at: https://pjpaintings.com/collections/birds/products
Thanks for visiting and take care, from PJ (Patricia Hopwood-Wade)