This is the Emerald Ash Borer beetle (right). It’s a beautiful creature.

Originally from Asia, the emerald ash borer (EAB) was first discovered in the Detroit area in 2002. It is believed to have entered the country on wooden packing materials from China. The bright metallic-green beetle may be smaller than a dime, but it is capable of taking down ash trees thousands of times its size. Adults are typically ½ inch long and ⅛ inch wide. 

Ash trees are one of the most valuable and abundant North American woodland trees: estimates of total number of ash trees in the United States alone range between seven and nine billion. There are a variety of ways to get rid of borer beetles, but acting quickly is important. Small trees can die as soon as one to two years after infestation, while larger infested trees can survive for three to four years. Heavy infestations of larval borers speed up the devastation of formerly healthy trees.

Below are photos of the damage that its larva creates in the ash trees.

 Inspiration: Folk Art & Outsider Art

Folk art is a broad term that describes a variety of media and techniques, and is usually produced by self-taught artists who have not had formal training. Folk art is often rooted in traditions of a community and/or culture, and can be either decorative or utilitarian in function. Outsider artists sometimes refashion everyday objects into works of art.

“Ashen Tree, Pray Buy These Bugs of Me”

The House of Good Fortune’s spire, “Ashen Tree, Pray BuyThese Bugs of Me” draws inspiration from the folk medicine tradition of sticking pins into ash trees and the African tradition of using nails animate a spirit-invested object. The result is a folk-art inspired totem of protection.

The spire, which represents the ash tree and functions as a spiritual object, is emerald green, like the emerald ash borer that has invaded it. The white painted design evokes the pattern of damage caused by EAB larva. The nails penetrating the spire represent EABs boring into the tree.  They have been decorated with spools and bottle caps to add kinetic and auditory elements to the piece. The bottle caps will rust over time, as they are exposed to the elements.

Magical ingredients that invest the piece with protective power are contained in the orange box, which should not be disturbed.

The nails serve a dual-purpose. Hammering the nails into this piece animates the force of the spirit within to hunt down wrongdoers – in this case, the emerald ash borers themselves, who destroy our community’s beautiful ash trees.

The photos in the gallery below depict the making of this piece during the summer of 2020. Please feel free to submit any questions or comments using the contact form.

Thank you for your interest.