Banded Alder Borer

6 x 8 in

Multi-block relief print

Native to the West Coast of Canada, the banded alder borer is drawn to the scent of fresh paint because its chemical notes mimic the smell of newly fallen wood, the ideal surface for laying eggs. I first encountered one in Victoria, BC, standing out against freshly painted white pavement, so striking that I genuinely believed it had escaped from the Bug Zoo. When I called to report it, I learned that they are in fact native to the region and that people regularly mistake them for exotic insects and bring them into the zoo. What reads as intoxication is in reality instinct, a reproductive pull disguised as desire. In this print, the dripping letters blur the line between attraction and compulsion, humour and biology. The phrase becomes both literal and metaphorical, a reflection on how something that appears accidental, even foolish, is often guided by the most ancient and persistent urges.