European Chafer Beetle & Grub with Wildflower Meadow 

As a multi-passionate, neurodivergent artist, I have found the sweet-spot of combining my two greatest passions: art and gardening. Today, I’m an entrepreneurial floral artist where flowers are my paint, and my canvases range from the tiniest boutonnieres to full-scale (10m in diameter) floral circles and commissioned installations. Sustainability is a pillar of my business ethos, and it encompasses an awareness of ecological health, social impact, and community wellness.

My Latest Floral Adventure

Recently, I had the privilege of sharing my talent by creating an eco-sculpture for the City of Burnaby for their annual Burnaby Blooms Festival.

A New Challenge

As a resident of Mission, who is privileged to own a piece of land (that includes a lawn); I’m challenged by a new pest that has reached our area: The European Chafer Beetle. With the combination of an expanding population and a mild winter so far, the lawn damage this fall and winter has been severe, reminiscent of lawns farther west (Vancouver, Burnaby, etc) a decade ago. 

Concept description (and AI image prompt): a giant European chafer beetle sculpture made of twigs and bark, beside a large beige European chafer grub sculpture made of paper mâché, on dirt, next to an oversized pastel coloured wildflower meadow.

Wildflower Meadows

The goal of the eco-sculpture is to create the ‘pest’ larger than life while exploring alternatives to our outdoor spaces. The ‘wildflower meadow’ is a fantasy interpretation using live plants, dried and fresh-cut flowers. I also grew out 3 sample lawn alternatives (approx. 1’x2’) to incorporate into the montage. A small takeout container held a few grubs to show to the public. 

Collective Beauty

As well, we engaged the public in creating a Flower Wall, each citizen adding a bloom to the collective project.

I’m happy that my muse of the Chafer Beetle elicited so much emotion! Homeowners with lawns shared their woes with me and the varied attempts at solutions (the best solution overall is simply not to grow a pure-strain grass lawn by either replacing it with a varied species lawn mix, or removing the lawn all-together and planting a flower or veggie garden, gravel garden, moss garden, etc). The kids were curious and endeared by the ‘bug’ and ‘worm’, and citizens living in apartments learned a little more about ‘what the crows are digging and eating’. 

Blooms for Diversity

The public was delighted to participate in the Flower Wall, having a small part to play in a greater creation. The action of receiving, touching, smelling, thoughtfully tucking in a bloom, and then proudly photographing it; transcended language, culture, ability, and age. It was super cool to witness.