Reflection

Reflection

Near my neighborhood, there was a fire that caused the air to become heavy with smoke and ash, causing even the simplest tasks like going outside were impacted. During this time, I started to research air pollution and it inspired me to discover more. This search led me to learn more about a small creature that often gets unnoticed or seen as an annoyance, bees. Humans are the main cause of air pollution that has disrupted nature and its inhabitants. When air pollution blocks an insect's sense of smell, they can destroy pheromone molecules, causing difficulties in communication and reproduction processes between potential mates. The same disruptions occur when bee pollinators have difficulty finding flowers in order to have a place to live or eat. These problems end in pollinators having to search longer distances for their necessary resources, and the plants result in fewer visits from pollinators. If bees were to become extinct, the chain reaction would be devastating throughout ecosystems and food chains, including our own. Bees are responsible for one-third of the food chain. Using materials like watercolors, prismacolor pencils, and pencils, I focused on the bees, as I drew them wearing oxygen masks to show the toxic levels of air pollution harming them. Along the bottom of the drawing, you see the consequences - death. The future, if unaddressed, is grey and bleak, as illustrated in dead bees that aren’t wearing oxygen masks to stop pollutants from poisoning their bodies. As the hand reaches out to help bees in sympathy, it's my plea for a symbolic effort to save some of the most vulnerable creatures.