Assignment 2- Diploma in Botanical Illustration

Seeing budding magnolia trees in front of my local library I always wanted to illustrate it in the moment when it is right before blooming. The branches have such interesting textures, and the buds are all protected within the fuzzy, hard layer of outer husks. It is amazing watching these buds seemingly dormant swell up over a course of few months and then overnight burst open into fluttering pink and white flowers resembling giant butterflies. The intricate structures of the stigma and stamens of the magnolia develop hidden throughout the winter in its cocoon. When the tree is fully in bloom, it's as if thousands of small creatures landed on the tree, moving its wings with the wind. 
Below my illustration, which took over 60 hours. 
Marks: 9.16/10