Posted on August 25th, 2014 by Jane Fairhurst

In 2013 I decided to embark upon a long term project based upon the Britain’s native oak tree Quercus robur, the pedunculate oak.

The oak is an important habitat and food source and supports more than 280 species of native insects alone, not to mention other flora and fauna.

I am now beginning to produce images of the insects that are supported by the oak in a range of media including  drawing, printing, embroidery, knitting, painting and photography. I anticipate that the project will take  me 3 to 5 years to complete.

During late summer and early autumn 2013 I went out most fine days to collect acorns from my local oak trees. Oak trees produce acorns in quantity every  5 to 7 years, these are known as mast years and last year was an excellent one for oak mast production. I collected and dried thousands as part of my Ecotopia Project and worked out that if all the acorns I collected grew as a woodland it would be the size of 325 football pitches….I’ll leave you to work out the equivalent in hectares! It’s a good sized woodland. Just think how many insects would inhabit such a woodland and provide a food source for many other creatures hence the title ‘Ecotopia’.

Araneus diadematus, European Garden Spider – embroidery on unbleached cotton (18 x 20 cm)

Apatura iris, Purple Emperor Butterfly – drawing

Dolycorus baccarum, Sloe Shield Bug, photograph