My history as an artist interested in botanical symbolism and motifs from my culture drew me to this symbiotic relationship between two uniquely beautiful organisms. The chuquiragua and the Ecuadorian Hillstar have adapted to the hostile environment of the high Andes, living almost exclusively for each other. Using graphite to meticulously capture the hardy yet delicate forms of the subjects, this work is a meditation on the beauty and resilience of nature, that manages to conceal fortitude beneath petals and feathers. I relate to these ideas intimately, adapting, like the sturdy chuquiragua, to challenges presented by the world, searching, like the colibrí, for joy and sweetness throughout.