Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), Morning Glories, August 1915; watercolor and gouache over pencil on cream wove paper, 14 x 10 inches, Image from the Burchfield Penney Art Center Archives
I found this evening dangling on the end of grass frond, a curled morning glory flower, which drying had fastened a tiny grey feather to the grass stem. How did this happen? The flower fell thru the slanting rays of a late August morning sun; a bird flew by and dropped a feather; rain dashed off the dead flower from its stem, and a rain-soaked bird preening itself on a wire, let fall a feather a bird seeking a worm on the leaves, brushed the vine, detaching a feather jarring loose the flower, shriveled by the hot sun— My most vagrant imaginings can’t approach the poetry of the sight of this queer occurrence –
--Charles E. Burchfield, September 1, 1917