A new 10-foot-tall poppy and butterfly wind-activated sculpture created by a group of Cal Poly engineering students was recently installed in the Children’s Garden at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden.
The sculpture was part of the students’ interdisciplinary senior project. Garden leadership challenged the team to blend artistry with engineering, source materials locally, and design for minimal upkeep. After touring the site and noting the garden’s poppy logo — the state flower — the students settled on a spinning poppy topped by a butterfly.
Emily Slater
“This sculpture is the Children’s Garden’s new showpiece,” said Janine Stillman, executive director of the nonprofit that sponsored the project.
General engineering graduate Aiden Largay and mechanical engineering graduates Irene Han and Madeline Xiong spent long days in Cal Poly’s machine shops, water-jet cutting and hand-bending each petal to complete the installation before graduation.
“Having the freedom to craft something entirely new drew me in,” Xiong said. “Watching it evolve from sketch to reality and knowing we sourced everything locally makes me proud.”
The students utilized Cuesta College’s auto shop to paint the flower in the garden’s signature orange and used stained glass to shape the butterfly wings.
“I loved the creative freedom of this project,” Largay said. “There wasn’t another one like it.”
The Children’s Garden reportedly draws more than 100 visitors a week.
“I like that the whole neighborhood will benefit,” Largay said. “Kids come here to learn about nature. Now they’ll learn about engineering too.”
The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden is open daily during daylight hours.
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