A biological memento for Same Time Next Year
Normally I do not include fleshy or soft finds. I will break that tradition with this trinket of nature. I found this larva the first week of January 2021. It is in my freezer as I write. So that I don’t have to worry about it getting thrown away, I will put it in my 2020 nest. I am hopeful that I still have the Polytgemus Moth that I collected in fall September 2919 at my studio. The two together will spark a stronger connection to appreciate and protect urban wildlife.
The sidewalks in my neighborhood are my nature trail. I walk with my eyes on the prowl for intriguing insects, exoskeletons, insect wings, feathers, dried flowers, twigs, leaves, seeds, and pods — things my children’s eyes taught me to find during our walks together over the years. Since 2013, these biological mementos have found their way into my bronze work in the molds of nests. Each piece is a reflection of that year’s ecology and records the time and movement of environmental restoration…………n Dirt to Soil, Gabe Brown quotes Don Campbell, “If you want to make small changes, change how you do things, if you want to make big changes change how you see.” When I come across intriguing flora or fauna on my urban trail, albeit few and far between, I see them as evidence that can inspire a revolution in the landscape. If they are expired and will not decompose, I collect them. I see these bronze cast nests as urban wildlife fossils—biographies, every year a chapter recording Houston's environmental awakening……….
Below m are screenshots from my seek application that I use to identify species.
A screen shot from the app seek, a wonderful app for identifying species.
Fall 2019, I find- I think it is still in my studio in a Plastic cup.