When I was in grad school in the US, my program was run in conjunction with the Missouri Botanical Garden, where I also worked full-time. I used to love browsing the old books of botanical illustrations in the Garden's fantastic library. I always wanted a hummingbird image that combined this style with the bird illustrations of John James Audubon.

This photo of a Coppery-headed Emerald visiting a native orchid in the Costa Rican highlands is the result of that little quest, and every time I view this picture it takes me back to those late winter afternoons, after work but before classes, browsing through the library stack at the Missouri Botanical Garden.