Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Mockingbird and Magnolia" Signed lower right. Original Watercolor painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood commemorative cover for Balke's Birds and Flowers of the 50 States, cancelled December 10, 1985. Mockingbirds start tuning up in late January and reach their vocal peak in spring, singing almost any hour of the day or night. The light of the rising moon often provides the cue for this bird's most rapturous song. Quiet during the August molt, they return to singing form in the fall. At this time the females deliver a soft but beautiful song, usually from the seclusion of a bush. Mockingbirds were sold as cage birds in the South, a practice which has been stopped. Today, the Mocker is a familiar sight around Mississippi's parks. When perched, this bird displays its gray back and white underparts. The Magnolia of the South is the most spectacular flowering tree in this country. Always green, and shaped like a pyramind, it may grow to a height of one hundred feet, with a trunk four feet thick. The long oval leaves are leathery and glossy. At the end of almost every branch the leaves form a green background for the immense white flowers, which often expand to a width of ten or twelve in. The fragrant blossoms have six to twelve waxen petals and three sepals which look like extra petals. Magnolia trees bloom in spring and early summer, although a tree will sometimes produce a few beautiful flowers in the autumn. Image Size: 11 x 12.75 in. Overall Size: 19.25 x 21 in. Unframed. (B09835) See More