[Pollinator] Lawrence Journal-World: Butterfly art project may be sweet for bees

[Jennifer Tsang]

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/apr/09/butterfly_art_project_may_be_sweet_
bees/?city_local


*Please take note of the "Local artist making a 'buzz' with preservation
efforts" video on the left hand side.


Butterfly art project may be sweet for bees 


By Eric Weslander

Monday, April 9, 2007

An artwork envisioned for a patch of ground east of Lawrence will tell the
story of the birds and the bees - or at least, the butterflies and the bees.

Lawrence crop artist Stan Herd is collaborating with Kansas University in a
plan to raise awareness of the loss of habitat for pollinating animals by
building a 2-acre earthwork of a butterfly at Pendleton's Country Market
east of Lawrence.

The work should be finished by late June, in time for the U.S.
Senate-designated "National Pollinator Week" at the request of the North
American Pollinator Protection Campaign.

"I've always felt that artwork used properly was a platform for the
discussion of issues," said Herd, who is known internationally for his
large-scale artworks built into the landscape.

Herd became involved in the project at the request of Chip Taylor, KU
professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, who says that thousands of
acres of pollinating animals' habitat per day are lost to development.

Losing pollinating animals means losing a key part of the ecosystem, Taylor
said.

"All the seeds, fruits, nuts and vegetation of all the plants that are
supported by these pollinators is food for everything else," he said.

The earthwork, which will be made using thousands of petunias, will
replicate the southern dogface butterfly depicted on one of four
"pollination" stamps the U.S. Postal Service will issue this summer.

Taylor said he's trying to raise about $25,000 in coming weeks for the
project. Donations can be submitted online at www.pollinator.org or made by
contacting Laurie Adams at (415) 362-1137.

 

Jennifer Tsang
Coevolution <http://coevolution.org>  Institute
423 Washington St. 5th Fl.
San Francisco, CA 94111-2339
T: 415.362.1137

F: 415.362.3070

www.nappc.org

www.pollinator.org

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