SUSTAINING LIFE
by Lauren Roberts

The magnificent trees throughout the Arboretum stood from the beginning. They are the true natives. They provide food and shelter to animals and birds, they provide shade to the delicate woodland plants, they provide nutrients to the soil when they drop their leaves and even in death, when they crash to the ground, to slowly be consumed. My sculpture is the image of the intricate tree bark, with lichen, mushrooms, small animals and birds clinging to it, depending on it for life.