Magic Wand

I discovered this plant during one of my morning runs: a yellow firework among the bare trees, flowers blooming so strangely. My friend Till, who somehow knows everything about plants, told me the name: it’s called the witch hazel, or Hamamelis virginiana.

The name got me interested, and I learned that a long time ago, people used the wood from this tree to look for water. Nowadays, people use it to cure acne because it produces an anti-oxidant that is good for the skin. It turns out this plant has a lot of powers to make people beautiful! And doesn’t its Latin name sound just like a spell from the Harry Potter books?

I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word ‘witch’, I think of a Disney witch, with a big ugly nose. I thought the name was so unfair!

I decided to make a simple, little painting of the plant, like Harry holding a magic wand. Swing your wand and repeat after me: Hamamelis virginiana!!!

Something a bit old, but the ideas are still new