"The Nectar Junkies" - 2012

Artist’s statement:

The iconic tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) has a beak curvature perfectly adapted over countless centuries to collect large quantities of nectar from the intense red flowers of the New Zealand flax, or harakeke (Phormium tenax). Sometimes the nectar ferments, resulting in the tui flying in a fashion that suggests that they might be drunk. The tui fulfills its end of the bargain with the flowers’ pollen covering the bird’s upper beak.
The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a very recent arrival on the scene. Early settlers realised that without the presence of long tongued (pollinating) bees, the fruit trees and crops they had brought over from Europe would not become established. At the time these bees were first introduced into Northland’s Hokianga Harbour in 1839, New Zealand already had two native species of bee. Neither one was suitable for pollinating crops or producing honey.
(There are around 16,000 species of bee worldwide. Only seven of these are responsible for creating honey).

Available as a quality limited edition giclee print on either canvas or acid-free paper, email me at bevan.fidler@xtra.co.nz for further details.