Spruce Bark Beetles

This piece shows the cycle of a spruce bark beetle infestation which killed off vast numbers of spruce trees, subsequently consumed by wildland fires, and leaving the landscape blackened by ash and occasional dead spruce trees. In the larval stage the beetles resemble small grains of white rice. They eat beautiful patterns under the bark of spruce trees. Images at the bottom left of the piece show some of these larval gallery patterns, and the open blue section is quilted using some of these patterns.