Butterfly Prints

Butterfly Prints

Butterfly wings are among the most studied surfaces in biology. The scales that cover them are tiny overlapping plates, each a few hundred micrometres long, arranged in rows that give the wing its colour, its iridescence, and in some species its near-invisibility. The diversity of structure within a single order - Lepidoptera - is enough to occupy a career.

The Axisophy Bugs collection includes 15 butterfly and moth prints, each illustrated from specimen reference with correct venation, accurate colour placement, and the proportions of the actual animal rather than a simplified version.

Newer Post Older Post

Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis lidderdalii)

A CITES-listed swallowtail from the cloud forests of the Eastern Himalayas. Wing pattern of dark bars and red-orange crescents against a translucent pale ground. Rarely seen in the wild. The print captures its geometric precision at a scale where individual scale rows become apparent.

Madagascan Sunset Moth (Chrysiridia rhipheus)

A day-flying moth, not a butterfly, but regularly mistaken for one. Colours produced entirely by nanoscale structural interference - they shift from green to gold to magenta depending on the viewing angle. Endemic to Madagascar.

  • Butterfly – Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis lidderdalii) - natural history illustration - Bugs series art print
    Butterfly – Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis lidderdalii)
    From $65.00 USD
  • Moth – Madagascan Sunset Moth (Chrysiridia rhipheus) - natural history illustration - Bugs series art print
    Moth – Madagascan Sunset Moth (Chrysiridia rhipheus)
    From $65.00 USD

Blue Morpho (Morpho menelaus)

The blue is not a pigment. Ridge structures on the wing scales spaced at intervals that interfere constructively with blue wavelengths of light. The underside is plain brown - camouflage when the wings are folded. The contrast between the two surfaces is one of the most dramatic in entomology.

Sylphina Angel (Chorinea sylphina)

A metalmark from Andean cloud forests with largely transparent wings and small patches of iridescent colour. The transparency is camouflage - the butterfly is almost invisible against dappled forest light.

  • Butterfly - Sylphina Angel (Chorinea sylphina) - natural history illustration - Bugs series art print
    Butterfly - Sylphina Angel (Chorinea sylphina)
    From $65.00 USD
  • Butterfly – Blue Morpho (Morpho menelaus) - natural history illustration - Bugs series art print
    Butterfly – Blue Morpho (Morpho menelaus)
    From $65.00 USD

Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
The classic case study in Müllerian mimicry - both the Viceroy and the Monarch are unpalatable, and both benefit from sharing warning colours. The bold orange and black pattern is immediately recognisable.

Io Moth (Automeris io)
Carries a pair of large eyespots on its hindwings - revealed suddenly when disturbed, startling potential predators. Simple mechanism, extremely effective. It looks painted. It is entirely grown.

  • Butterfly - Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) - natural history illustration - Bugs series art print
    Butterfly - Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
    From $65.00 USD
  • Moth – Io Moth (Automeris io) - natural history illustration - Bugs series art print
    Moth – Io Moth (Automeris io)
    From $65.00 USD

All butterfly and moth prints from £50, free UK delivery. Browse the full range at axisophy.com/collections/bugs - filter by Butterflies & Moths.

Bugs Collection

Simon Tyler is a designer, illustrator and author based in St Leonards-on-Sea. He is the author and illustrator of Bugs (Pavilion, 2017), Adventures in Space (Pavilion, 2018), Adventures on Earth (Pavilion, 2019) and Emergency Vehicles (Faber & Faber, 2020), and the illustrator of The World's Most Magnificent Machines (Faber & Faber, 2020). His forthcoming book Gizmo: Retro-Tech We Loved and Lost will be published by Laurence King in May 2026.