Lockwood learned that the California Sister butterfly relies on the oak tree as its host plant, so she incorporated this butterfly into the mural. These beautiful butterflies can be seen in droves when hiking in the Oakland Hills during the spring and summer. The sister butterfly is quite striking, with large contrasting areas of dark brown and orange and a tiny bit of white sprinkled in, and it occurred to Lockwood that it would be really beautiful to paint a large swarm of them on a long wall, in a flowing composition. So the idea of the oak tree with a swarm of sister butterflies alongside it was already forming, and when Lockwood saw the wall on Mountain Blvd., it seemed the perfect space for this concept. The swarm of butterflies represents the brilliance of a connected community and the oak suggests roots and strength. The connection between the two reflects our dependence on one another as a vibrant,unified community.