At the Tucson Botanical Garden yesterday I found three of my passions combined: gardening in hot dry climates, art in gardens, and picking up trash from public areas.
Full disclosure: I am a member of a Tucson environmental group called Trashy Divas and twice a month we pick up trash and debris in public parks and along side streets. That’s my interest in trash.
The TBG always has interesting sculpture exhibitions in and around its many demonstration sites for drought-tolerant or desert plants. Sometimes the sculpture is small and suitable for a residential garden. Other times the art is large — the ideal size for a public garden.
A Name the Jellyfish Contest
The fish at the top of this page, Priscilla the Parrotfish, is one of several sculptures now on display at TBG and it is large. It’s not for a backyard garden, but might be suitable for a corporate lobby. The large Jellyfish, which hangs near the entrance, is unnamed for now. TBG is running a campaign to name it and the name will be announced on Earth Day, April 20th. I voted for the name Bubbles.
Both these sculptures were created by group of environmental artists called Washed Ashore based in Bandon, Oregon. The materials have literally been picked up off Oregon beaches, then cleaned and refashioned by artists.
A few steps away from Priscilla the Parrotfish is another figure, a Rockhopper penguin, a native of islands around Australia and New Zealand. A group of smaller jellyfish in sizes suitable for backyard gardens hang in nearby trees.
Another bird sculpture, this one looking rather fierce, is Sebastian the Puffin. As a work of art it must be close to 10 feet tall; in real life puffins are only 2 to 3 feet tall and nest sheltered deep within piles of rocks.
Here are close-ups of elements that have gone into these creations. The image on the right is some of the plastic trash that makes up Priscilla the Parrotfish. (Are you missing a blue beach sandal?) On the left is the foot of Sebastian the Puffin with California poppies blooming behind.
Trash bought, used and discarded by humans
Every ounce of this trash was at one time purchased by a real human being in a store for some purpose, used and then discarded–perhaps in the ocean or perhaps nearby in a waterway leading to the ocean. Keep in mind that the Santa Cruz River and the Rillito lead to the Gila River which leads to the Colorado which empties into the Pacific Ocean.
The lesson here: dispose of your plastic trash properly in a garbage can or recycling bin. And speaking of recycling, not far from Sebastian the Puffin I spied a stack of those new plastic building blocks that the City of Tucson is supporting. They felt very heavy and very sturdy! Maybe better building blocks than bales of hay.
The Washed Ashore sculptures will be on display until May 18.
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