Thursday, April 12, 2007
A KU professor and Lawrence crop artist are working together to create a half-acre replica of a Southern dogface butterfly stamp, to catch the public’s eye about the increasing loss of habitat for pollinators around the world.
Purple petunias, yellow marigolds, and other flowers, greenery, and mulch will be used in the design to replicate one of the four stamps the U.S. postal service will issue for the first ever National Pollinator Week, June 24 to 30. National Pollinator Week was issued by the U.S. Senate with collaboration with The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign and The Coevolution Institute.
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I grew up on the farm, and the pollinator story was kind of in the back of my mind, but I didn’t realize the extent the problem had grown.
-Stan Herd, Lawrence crop artist
“We need to create some sort of image that will help us get the message out to the public — that pollinators are important and we have to recognize their value,” Chip Taylor, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, said.
Taylor is working with Stan Herd, Lawrence crop artist, to create the image.
Birds, beetles, bats, flies, butterflies, bees, and thousands of species are called pollinators. These species are responsible for the reproduction of plants and flowers by the transfer of pollen. About 80 percent of vegetation on the planet requires pollination to exist.
Six thousand acres of farms, ranches and undeveloped forest land is being converted to shopping malls and housing developments each day, said Taylor. That results in 2.2 million acres a year.
“You can’t have your cake and eat it too,” Taylor said. “If you want to get the services from these organisms, then we’re going to have to provide the support for them.”
Herd, Lawrence crop artist, said he would start growing his favorite vegetable, squash, to be used in the design. Although it won’t be Herd’s original design, he said he will put his own spin on the image.
“I grew up on the farm, and the pollinator story was kind of in the back of my mind, but I didn’t realize the extent the problem had grown,” Herd said.
The image will be located outside Lawrence at Pendleton’s Country Market, and will be easily viewed if flown over in a airplane,
Many of the flowers will be provided by Pendleton’s, said Karen Pendleton, owner of the farm. Pendleton said she has worked with Herd and Taylor on numerous other projects, so this one will just continue their work together.
Approximately $25,000 is needed to finish the image, and the money will be raised strictly by donations. Taylor said he hopes to raise all the money and have it completed by June 18, in time for Pollinator Week.
Kansan staff writer Danae DeShazer can be contacted at ddeshazer@kansan.com.
—Edited by Lisa Tilson
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