REDDING — Highstead Arboretum announces the opening of an exhibition of botanical artwork by the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, on view through June 30. Twenty-one artists are represented in this year’s show, which focuses on plants native to Connecticut, with many pieces available for purchase.

A reception and art demonstration will be held on Sunday, May 7, from 1 to 4 pm. Highstead Arboretum is at 127 Lonetown Road (Route 107).

A one-hour demonstration in the art of botanical illustration will be presented by Eleanor B. Wunderlich at 1 pm. Mrs Wunderlich, an instructor of advanced botanical illustration at the New York Botanical Garden, will demonstrate traditional techniques for building color and form through a series of watercolor washes.

Mrs Wunderlich’s work is represented in the permanent collection of the Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation in Pittsburgh and the Shirley Sherwood Collection in Great Britain. She is also the author of Botanical Illustration in Water Color, published in 1991.

The exhibit is open by appointment only. Arrangements for viewing the show or reservations for the demonstration may be made by calling the arboretum during business hours — Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm — at 203/938-8809.