Nardoo is a common and widespread fern found across inland Australia. The fern appears after significant rainfall, producing spores on the damp mud of billabongs, lakes, rivers and flood plains as the floodwaters recede.
I collected a few specimens to paint from the swampy, mosquito infested old dam at the back of the farm yard. Now the temperature is heating up, the dam is most likely home to a dreaded brown snake or two!
The fronds of the Nardoo are slightly hairy, and resemble the four-leaf clover. I painted this design using a wet on wet watercolour technique in a palette of greyish and golden greens.
