North American wildlife art is a flood with charismatic megafauna, but it's the little animals that matter. Without recyclers in the environment, the earth might be waist deep in, well, waste. Sculptor Paul Rhymer gets it.  His work, One Man's Trash, a portrayal of the unsung dung beetle, won the Ethology Award for Best Depiction of Natural Behavior at the 2011 Art and the Animal Exhibition.

We're happy to see the Society of Animal Artist's tentacles stretching out in all directions to honor the fusion of art and science.  "Art and the Animal has some impressive works,"  Rhymer says.  "I'm happy to be part of it."  After leaving the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City, Michigan, the national traveling component of Art and the Animal splits into two touring parts.  It's well worth an outing if it arrives in a city near you.  For a list of venues, click here .