Several months ago I was invited to participate in a group project with some fiber artists who live in the Petoskey Area of Northern Michigan. Our task was to each adopt one invasive species and make a portrait of it, in a 12 by 12 inch space.

They met several times in person, alas I live about an hour and a half away, so couldn’t go to the in person meetings. I kept in touch through social media. I didn’t get a chance to see works in progress, and had to wait for their debut at the art center.

My critter was the Red Swamp Crawfish. This dude is about 8 inches long, mostly red with raised red bumps and looks like a little lobster. These crawfish are native to lakes and river in the American South, some think they are good eating - of not for people then for game fish, which is how they are making their way into our waters. They come in fishermen bait boxes and are dumped. Or they are let loose from school aquariums. Once a few of these have settled into a friendly lake, they compete with native crayfish and other aquatic species for food. They can cause an algae bloom, and they burrow into the shore line, creating an erosion problem.

He is one of 8 species featured at the above mentioned show. Feedback from the gallery is that people who look at this series do read the text that is with it, and learn a bit.