If you head to the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden in El Chorro Regional Park, and you make your way to the Children’s Garden, you’ll see a new 10-foot steel sculpture of a deep orange poppy topped by a yellow and black stained-glass butterfly. The poppy is, of course, California’s state flower.
The colorful installation—a shared senior project—is the work of general engineering graduate Aiden Largay and mechanical engineering graduates Irene Han and Madeline Xiong, who “spent long days in Cal Poly’s machine shops, waterjet cutting and hand-bending each petal to bring their vision to life,” according to the university’s announcement.
SLO Botanical “challenged the team to blend artistry with engineering, source materials locally, and design for minimal upkeep.” The kinetic design is wind activated.
“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 Children’s Garden receives more than 100 young visitors each 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.”
Admission to the garden is $10 for adults; $8 for seniors, students, and military; and free for kids 12 and under. Get more info and tickets at slobg.org. Δ
This article appears in 55 Fiction 2025.