A three-piece, 15-foot-tall pollinator sculpture recently was installed along Route 66 in Carlinville, Illinois.
The steel sculpture of flowers and a bee stands at the Carlinville Plaza on the city’s north side. Make Carlinville Beautiful coordinated the creation and donation of materials for the project.
According to an article in the Alton Telegraph, the sculpture also recognizes Carlinville as the first Bee City USA affiliate in Illinois.
More about the group:
Bee City USA, an organization of the XERCES Society, certified Carlinville in 2019 and re-certifies Carlinville annually, based on compliance with criteria that requires planting native plants that attract pollinating insects to provide food and habitat for bees, birds, butterflies, beetles and bats. The certification also includes education, outreach and activities to heighten awareness of the importance of pollinating insects and their ongoing needs.
Volunteers use no herbicides or pesticides to ensure that insects and birds that feed on the flowers, trees and other plants in the gardens are not compromised.
“This will certainly be a tourist stop for years to come!” the City of Carlinville stated in a social media post.
Carlinville Plaza is just off Illinois 4, an early alignment of Route 66 from 1926 to 1932.
(Image of the pollinator sculpture in Carlinville, Illinois, via City of Carlinville)