As a natural history artist I believe you can inspire change through a body of artwork. In pursuit of nectar looks at insect pollination of horticultural plants in Australia.

European honeybees were first introduced by colonials to pollinate the pastoral clover and provide honey. Reliance to produce is paramount on the honeybee and due to Australian honeybees being Varrhoa mite free, they are being sent all over the world. Not only are they in decline from export, but also from Small Hive Beetle infestation, urbanisation and pesticides.

To relieve the strain on the honeybees perhaps we should be looking at the pollinators that were here before colonisation. This body of work hopes to highlight some of these extremely important and resilient native insect pollinators. Some of which are already being accepted into the world of horticulture. Others are yet to show their charms.

To encourage native insects to pollinate our food plants we need to create a source of nectar and protection for them all year round. Growing native flowering hedgerows and wildlife corridors and even fallow pastures or lawns may be a long-term solution. This exhibition is my visual glimpse into a possible solution to a national problem.