Muralist Matt Willey will return to Hendersonville in late March or early April, depending on weather, to finish the Bee Mural he began painting last fall.
When temperatures in the winter drop below 50, as they did by early December, honey bees retreat to their hive and form a winter cluster to keep warm – sort of like a giant three-month slumber party. In the same spirit, the painting of the Bee Mural downtown came to a stop the first week of December.
But soon the buzz will return to the exterior wall of Hands On! Children’s Museum in Azalea parking lot at Third Ave. E. and King St. when Willey, on his boom lift, will add flowers and other pollinators to the handsome honeycomb of bees and their queen already painted.
He expects it will take a month to finish the project.
A demonstration pollinator garden, planted last fall in the nearby areas of Azalea parking lot, where the work on the mural is most visible, will also come to life as Willey, the bees, and springtime begin to return.
Landscape architect Tricia King of TTK Design transformed traffic islands at the site into a diverse habitat to serve as a working pollinator garden and demonstration plot for the community.
In addition to butterfly weed and coreopsis, for example, springtime visitors will see indigo, sage, and white wood aster. All plants are labeled for easy reference, and King designed the pollinator-friendly garden to be handsome year-round.
The garden bed directly below…
