MNN - Mother Nature Network

Now that you've got your biodegradable planters made from grade A Connecticut bovine poop, you’re probably looking to add a little non-plastic-lawn-ornament pizzazz to your garden. Well, thank goodness for Colorado-based painter and dung sculptress Susan Bell and her well-fed horses.

Bell is the force behind Dung Bunnies, a line of “eco-sculptures” for the garden that are also effective natural fertilizers. Call them subversive and call them smelly (they're not), one thing Bell’s creations are is earth-smart. Instead of letting horse manure pile up and pollute waterways, Bell collects it and lets it decompose for two years. The resulting substance is easily moldable, virtually odor-free, and the artistic medium for Bell’s manure menagerie. Once placed in a garden, the bunnies (and frogs, cats, squirrels, turtles, snails, and more) slowly decompose, acting as nutrient-rich plant fertilizers.

It’s never too early to think about Easter … I smell (or don’t smell) the perfect gift for the consummate, good-humored gardener.