Plant (Tabebuia lepidota)

Plant (Tabebuia lepidota), 2024. Cibachrome print, 33cm x 33cm. JPEG 4320 X 4320 pixels. Following the protocols of the blockchain that define a space protected from destruction, manipulation, and the passing of time, artist Debora Hirsch decided to bring back to life and preserve nearly extinct plants within the realm of AI and physical painting. These endangered species are recorded on the blockchain, granting them an eternal virtual existence, while serving as a symbolic memory of what we have lost and what we risk losing. Plants, frames, landscapes, architecture details and monolithic birds all together, aim at emphasizing the complexity of interconnections that belong to ecosystems while evoking the delicate equilibrium and transience of nature. TABEBUIA LEPIDOTA Native: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic; Haiti, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands British, Virgin Islands U.S. Assessment: Least Concerned but Declining. Threats: Rising sea levels, development pressures for housing and agriculture, and non-native invasive species. PLANT: Nectar robbing occurs when hummingbirds pierce the flower corolla to access nectar, however this behavior has a neutral effect on this plant's fruit production.