Artist Banksy has confirmed that he is the creator of a large green tree mural with distinctly environmental overtones that appeared in north London over the weekend.

Residents said they woke up on Sunday to see the giant painting on the side of a block of flats in Hornsey Road, near Finsbury Park.

Pest Control, the official body that authenticates Banksy’s work, confirmed to Sky News that the painting was indeed Banksy’s latest work.

The elusive artist shares his work on his Instagram page and also posted a photo of the site on his official page on Monday, showing the wall before and after the work is completed.

This large painting is a green splash effect shape painted behind a felled tree – giving the impression of adding a halo of leaves to the bare branches.

Green paint drips onto the floor, and the figure of a young girl, stenciled in green and black, looks up at the piece.

She appears to be holding a pressure sprayer.

The bright green paint hue used in the piece matches the colors of Islington Council’s branding and seems likely to be a nod to St Patrick’s Day, which falls on Sunday 17 March.

Amy, a trainee clinical psychologist, wrote on “

She added: “You can almost see us smiling proudly on the balcony.”

She also found a black zipper left outside the painting and speculated: “Maybe Banksy’s zipper was left on the painting?”

Another resident, James Roe, joked on X: “Banksy came overnight and now my rent is going to go through the roof.”

Islington councilor Flora Williamson shared images of the artwork on X and said she was a fan of Banksy’s work.

She wrote: “By far the most exciting thing about today’s canvassing at Hornsey Road was seeing Banksy come to Torrington overnight. There was a lot of local interest – I’m a fan. “

Another Hornsey Road resident, Lidia Guerra, told the PA news agency: “The way it was spray-painted reminded me of a weeping willow, so it could be a message about nature’s struggle with the dead tree out front .”

“It’s just fantastic – when we read about it last night we knew we had to come see it as soon as possible.

“We are very proud that he chose our street.”

Prior to his latest creation, Banksy’s last confirmed work was a stop sign in Peckham, south London, featuring three military drones, which was shared just before Christmas.

However, the work was removed less than an hour after it was confirmed as authentic on the artist’s social media, with witnesses saying it was removed by a man armed with bolt cutters.

Two men were later arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.