Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Cottontail Rabbit and Oak" Signed lower right. Original Watercolor on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This art was originally published in the limited edition collection of philatelic proofcards issued by Fleetwood and the National Audubon Society for the Wildlife of the 50 States. Several generations of American children have been delighted by the misadventures of Peter Rabbit in Mr. MacGregor's garden and the traditional hippety-hopping of Peter Cottontail down the Easter bunny trail. For Cottontails, who spend much of their time coping with a series of narrow escapes, life is never so romantic. Cottontails are extremely vulnerable when hunted by dogs or men in deep snow or forested areas. But, in the brushy clearings where they make their homes, wary Cottontails will trick their pursuers, sometimes avoiding an inevitable early death. To make up for short life-expectancies, these nervous little rabbits are extremely prolific. A single doe will have several litters of up to five babies in a single year. She picks and chooses her partner, than after mating she immediately moves the much smaller buck out of her house. For about a month, the doe busies herself finding an appropriate abandoned skunk's nest or digging a shallow opening in the bushes. She lines the nest with grass and her own fur, making the nursery snug. Soon, the small, thumb-size babies are born and the mother spends her evenings nursing her brood. If the young survive preying skunks or owls, they open their eyes in eight days, squeal to be fed and in two weeks are independent and on their own. This artwork depicts a Cottontail among the fallen leaves of the Iowa state tree, the mighty Oak. With their tiny button noses twitching and their ears cocked back, they are always alert for one of their many enemies. Image Size: 12.25 x 14 in. Overall Size: 19.75 x 20.5 in. Unframed. (B06501)