{"title":"Natural History Prints","description":"\u003cp\u003eNatural history prints featuring scientific illustrations of butterflies, moths, beetles, and insects from around the world. Each specimen is rendered in faithful detail and colour, presented cleanly against a white background in the tradition of museum-quality natural history illustration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur Bugs series covers over 40 species - from the iridescent Blue Morpho and Madagascan Sunset Moth to the Goliath Beetle and Giraffe Weevil. Every print includes the species' common and Latin names. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProduced on 250gsm archival matte paper. Ideal for nature lovers, biology students, teachers, and anyone who appreciates the extraordinary diversity of the insect world.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"butterfly-bhutan-glory-bhutanitis-lidderdalii","title":"Butterfly – Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis lidderdalii)","description":"\u003cp\u003eElusive and highly localised, the \u003ci\u003eBhutan Glory\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eBhutanitis lidderdalii\u003c\/i\u003e) inhabits misty montane forests across a narrow band of the eastern Himalayas. Its long-tailed hindwings and bold patterning of orange, black and cream recall the Apollo butterflies to which it is distantly related, though its slow, floating flight and dependence on \u003ci\u003eAristolochia\u003c\/i\u003e host plants set it firmly apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDiscovered in the 19th century and now protected across much of its range, the Bhutan Glory is a specialist feeder whose larvae rely exclusively on \u003ci\u003eAristolochia\u003c\/i\u003e vines. These plants make both caterpillars and adults distasteful to predators. The species typically produces one or two broods per year, and adults may live for several months — unusually long for a butterfly. When resting, they flatten their wings to conceal the orange markings, blending seamlessly into the forest canopy. Elusive and rarely seen close-up, the Bhutan Glory remains a prized sight for naturalists and a symbol of Himalayan biodiversity and conservation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864092106913,"sku":"APW-BUG-BGL-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864092139681,"sku":"APW-BUG-BGL-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-bhutan-glory-print.jpg?v=1762260861"},{"product_id":"butterfly-blue-morpho-morpho-menelaus","title":"Butterfly – Blue Morpho (Morpho menelaus)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe electric blue of the \u003ci\u003eBlue Morpho\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eMorpho menelaus\u003c\/i\u003e) is not pigment but physics: microscopic ridges on each scale scatter light so precisely that the colour shifts and vanishes with every wingbeat. Found from Mexico to Colombia and throughout the Amazon basin, it is one of the most instantly recognisable butterflies in the world, visible from remarkable distances as it glides through forest shadows.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe species’ life cycle is equally striking. Reddish-brown caterpillars with green patches feed on leguminous plants and accumulate mild toxins, deterring predators. Adults live for only a few weeks, devoting their brief lives to feeding, mating, and filling the rainforest with flashes of blue that have become a symbol of tropical abundance and transformation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864092041377,"sku":"APW-BUG-BMO-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864092074145,"sku":"APW-BUG-BMO-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-blue-morpho-print.jpg?v=1762260785"},{"product_id":"butterfly-citrus-swallowtail-papilio-demodocus","title":"Butterfly – Citrus Swallowtail (Papilio demodocus)","description":"\u003cp\u003eCommon, adaptable and thoroughly at home in gardens, the \u003ci\u003eCitrus Swallowtail\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003ePapilio demodocus\u003c\/i\u003e) is one of the most widespread butterflies in sub-Saharan Africa. Its larvae feed on cultivated citrus as readily as on native Rutaceae, which has made it both a familiar garden visitor and an occasional minor pest from the Cape to the Arabian Peninsula.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlso known as the Christmas or orange dog butterfly, the Citrus Swallowtail is admired for both its beauty and its ecological role. A strong, fast flier, it visits flowers for nectar and often “puddles” at damp ground to take up minerals. Its caterpillars are equally remarkable: young larvae mimic bird droppings to avoid detection, while older ones turn bright green with large false eye-spots. When disturbed, they raise a forked orange organ called an osmeterium, releasing a strong odour to deter predators.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFeeding mainly on plants in the citrus family (\u003ci\u003eRutaceae\u003c\/i\u003e), including both wild species and cultivated trees, the caterpillars are sometimes considered orchard pests. The butterfly breeds throughout much of the year, producing multiple generations where conditions allow, with pupae that can overwinter through dry or cool seasons. Energetic, adaptable, and vividly patterned, the Citrus Swallowtail is one of Africa’s most familiar and striking butterflies.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091975841,"sku":"APW-BUG-CSW-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864092008609,"sku":"APW-BUG-CSW-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-citrus-swallowtail-print.jpg?v=1762260733"},{"product_id":"butterfly-dido-longwing-philaethria-dido","title":"Butterfly – Dido Longwing (Philaethria dido)","description":"\u003cp\u003eLong-winged and fast on the move, the \u003ci\u003eDido Longwing\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003ePhilaethria dido\u003c\/i\u003e) is the largest member of the Heliconiinae and one of the most striking butterflies in the Neotropics. Its translucent green patches set against jet-black wing membranes give it an almost stained-glass quality as it soars through the mid-canopy of Central and South American forests.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMales spend much of their time high in the canopy, occasionally descending to drink from riverbanks or sandy beaches, while females fly lower to locate passionflower vines (\u003ci\u003ePassiflora\u003c\/i\u003e), laying single eggs on the undersides of leaves. The caterpillars are pale green with reddish spines and mimic bird droppings for camouflage. Adults feed at the flowers of trees and vines, flying in a fast, agile zigzag that flashes their translucent green markings in the light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite their resemblance to the malachite butterfly, Dido Longwings belong to an earlier branch of the heliconiine lineage, distinct in both shape and behaviour. Sleek, vivid, and constantly in motion, they bring the visual rhythm of the rainforest canopy to life.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091910305,"sku":"APW-BUG-DLO-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864091943073,"sku":"APW-BUG-DLO-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-dido-longwing-print.jpg?v=1762260686"},{"product_id":"moth-elephant-hawk-moth-deilephila-elpenor","title":"Moth – Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila elpenor)","description":"\u003cp\u003eFew British moths match the \u003ci\u003eElephant Hawk Moth\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eDeilephila elpenor\u003c\/i\u003e) for sheer colour. Its olive and pink livery looks almost tropical, yet it is widespread across Europe and into temperate Asia, hovering at honeysuckle and valerian on warm summer evenings. The common name comes not from the adult but from the larva, whose swollen thorax and retractable head give it a passing resemblance to an elephant's trunk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts name comes from the extraordinary shape of its caterpillar, whose long, tapering body and retractable head give the illusion of an elephant’s trunk. Reaching up to eight centimetres in length, the caterpillar darkens from green to brown as it matures and features large false eyespots that inflate when threatened — an effective mimicry of a snake’s face that startles predators.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe adult moth’s large, sensitive eyes allow colour vision at night, and its strong, hovering flight makes it an efficient nocturnal pollinator. Usually single-brooded, the species flies from late May to August, though adults may appear slightly earlier or later in warmer regions. Striking in both form and behaviour, the Elephant Hawk Moth is one of the most recognisable and charismatic insects of the European summer.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091844769,"sku":"APW-BUG-EHM-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864091877537,"sku":"APW-BUG-EHM-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-elephant-hawk-moth-print.jpg?v=1762260602"},{"product_id":"moth-garden-tiger-moth-arctia-caja","title":"Moth – Garden Tiger Moth (Arctia caja)","description":"\u003cp\u003eBold enough to advertise and toxic enough to back it up, the \u003ci\u003eGarden Tiger Moth\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eArctia caja\u003c\/i\u003e) combines vivid orange hindwings with a dense black-and-white forewing pattern that varies so much between individuals that no two are quite alike. Widespread across the temperate Palearctic and into North America, its populations have declined sharply in warmer lowland regions over recent decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFamed for its bright warning colours and dramatic defence, the Garden Tiger flashes its orange hindwings when threatened to startle predators, while its body fluids carry toxins absorbed from larval food plants. The caterpillars, known as “woolly bears,” are easily recognised by their dense brown hairs and wide-ranging appetite for wild and garden plants. They overwinter as larvae, pupate in spring, and emerge as adults in midsummer, often drawn to light on warm nights.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis print captures the species’ vivid patterns and natural poise in clean, contemporary form — a celebration of one of the most spectacular moths of temperate regions, and a reminder of its importance to both art and ecology.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091779233,"sku":"APW-BUG-GTM-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864091812001,"sku":"APW-BUG-GTM-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-garden-tiger-moth-print.jpg?v=1762260533"},{"product_id":"butterfly-io-moth-automeris-io","title":"Moth – Io Moth (Automeris io)","description":"\u003cp\u003eNamed after a priestess of Greek myth, the \u003ci\u003eIo Moth\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eAutomeris io\u003c\/i\u003e) keeps its best trick hidden. At rest its dull forewings conceal a pair of enormous hindwing eyespots that, when flashed at a startled predator, buy just enough time for escape. Found across North America from southern Canada to Mexico, it is one of the continent's most widespread silk moths.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Io Moth is famous for its defensive display. When threatened, it snaps open its forewings to reveal large black-and-blue eyespots ringed in gold on its hindwings, mimicking the stare of a much larger animal and startling potential predators. Males are typically bright yellow, females a softer brown, both with a wingspan of five to eight centimetres. Adults do not feed and live only a week or two, dedicating their brief lives to reproduction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe caterpillars are vivid green and lined with venomous spines capable of delivering a sharp sting if touched. Young larvae often travel together in small processions before dispersing as they mature. Highly adaptable, they feed on a wide range of host plants — from trees and shrubs to grasses — making \u003ci\u003eAutomeris io\u003c\/i\u003e one of North America’s most versatile and recognisable moths.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091713697,"sku":"APW-BUG-IOM-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864091746465,"sku":"APW-BUG-IOM-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-io-moth-print.jpg?v=1762260441"},{"product_id":"butterfly-madagascan-sunset-moth-chrysiridia-rhipheus","title":"Moth – Madagascan Sunset Moth (Chrysiridia rhipheus)","description":"\u003cp\u003eOften mistaken for a butterfly, the \u003ci\u003eMadagascan Sunset Moth\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eChrysiridia rhipheus\u003c\/i\u003e) is a day-flying moth whose iridescent wings cycle through green, gold, magenta and violet depending on the angle of light. Endemic to Madagascar, it depends entirely on toxic \u003ci\u003eOmphalea\u003c\/i\u003e plants as larval food, sequestering their poisons and advertising the fact with colour that few predators ignore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike most moths, the Sunset Moth is active by day and is often mistaken for a butterfly thanks to its bright palette and quick, fluttering flight. With a wingspan of up to nine centimetres, it’s found throughout much of Madagascar except the arid south, migrating seasonally in search of \u003ci\u003eOmphalea\u003c\/i\u003e host plants. Its striking colours serve both as a signal to mates and a warning to predators — an honest display of toxicity inherited from its caterpillar’s diet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCelebrated by collectors and naturalists around the world, this species has long been considered one of the most beautiful insects ever described. Its wing scales create colours that shift with angle and light, a vivid example of the physics behind structural colour and one of nature’s most remarkable optical designs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091582625,"sku":"APW-BUG-MSM-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864091615393,"sku":"APW-BUG-MSM-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-madagascan-sunset-moth-print.jpg?v=1762260388"},{"product_id":"butterfly-painted-lady-vanessa-cardui","title":"Butterfly – Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)","description":"\u003cp\u003eNo butterfly on Earth covers more ground than the \u003ci\u003ePainted Lady\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eVanessa cardui\u003c\/i\u003e). Present on every continent except Antarctica and South America, it undertakes multi-generational migrations that can span thousands of kilometres, with individuals crossing the Sahara at altitudes above a thousand metres.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat makes the Painted Lady remarkable is its epic migration. Each year, successive generations travel from tropical Africa across the Sahara and deep into Europe, reaching as far north as the Arctic Circle before returning south in autumn. This multi-generational round trip can span up to 12,000 kilometres — one of the longest insect migrations known. These journeys are driven by seasonal winds and rainfall patterns, sometimes producing immense swarms that fill the sky across multiple continents.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdaptable and resilient, Painted Ladies thrive in open landscapes, gardens, and meadows. Their caterpillars feed primarily on thistles, while the adults draw nectar from a wide range of flowering plants. Their success lies in flexibility: they can breed wherever conditions allow, quickly taking advantage of new growth after rain or disturbance. It’s a butterfly of movement, resourcefulness, and colour — a true global traveller.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091517089,"sku":"APW-BUG-PLA-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864091549857,"sku":"APW-BUG-PLA-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-painted-lady-print.jpg?v=1762260091"},{"product_id":"butterfly-european-peacock-aglais-io","title":"Butterfly - European Peacock (Aglais io)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWidespread in gardens, parks, woodlands, and open countryside, this adaptable species is highly mobile and among the first to appear in spring, emerging from winter hibernation in sheds, hollow trees, or woodpiles. Caterpillars feed on nettles, while adults visit buddleia, thistles, and other flowering plants throughout the summer. With a wingspan of up to seven centimetres, the Peacock is as notable for its behaviour as its beauty: the dark brown undersides of its wings provide camouflage when at rest, and a sudden flick open reveals the bright upper surfaces - sometimes accompanied by an audible hissing sound that deters birds and small mammals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePopulations across Europe are stable and expanding, with the species now found from the British Isles to Japan. Its adaptability and bold markings have made the Peacock one of the best-known butterflies in the world, a lasting emblem of summer across its range.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091451553,"sku":"APW-BUG-PEA-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864091484321,"sku":"APW-BUG-PEA-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-european-peacock-butterfly-print.jpg?v=1762259822"},{"product_id":"butterfly-rajah-brooke-birdwing-trogonoptera-brookiana","title":"Butterfly - Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana)","description":"\u003cp\u003eNamed in 1855 by Alfred Russel Wallace after James Brooke, the Rajah of Sarawak, this butterfly is Malaysia’s national insect and a prize sighting for collectors and naturalists alike. It inhabits tropical forests near rivers, hot springs, and mud banks, where males gather in striking groups to “puddle” - drinking from mineral-rich damp soil thought to aid reproduction. While males shimmer vibrantly at ground level, females stay high in the canopy, making encounters especially memorable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe species’ caterpillars feed on \u003ci\u003eAristolochia\u003c\/i\u003e vines, and adults fly with a strong, looping motion that combines power and elegance. Few butterflies rival its intensity of colour or sense of movement - qualities that have made \u003ci\u003eTrogonoptera brookiana\u003c\/i\u003e an enduring emblem of the region’s biodiversity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091386017,"sku":"APW-BUG-RBB-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864091418785,"sku":"APW-BUG-RBB-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-rajah-brooke-birdwing-print.jpg?v=1762259381"},{"product_id":"butterfly-sapho-longwing-heliconius-sapho","title":"Butterfly – Sapho Longwing (Heliconius sapho)","description":"\u003cp\u003eStriking even by Heliconius standards, the \u003ci\u003eSapho Longwing\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eHeliconius sapho\u003c\/i\u003e) pairs deep indigo-black forewings with crisp white bands in a pattern bold enough to serve as a warning. Found from Mexico through Central America to Ecuador, it roosts communally each evening, returning to the same branch night after night with remarkable fidelity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSapho longwings are most often seen gliding through forest clearings and along stream edges, where adults sometimes gather to roost together in the evening. With a wingspan of about eight centimetres, they are graceful and long-lived butterflies — some surviving for up to six months thanks to their unusual ability to feed on both nectar and pollen. Males are territorial, defending favoured perches while waiting for females.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe caterpillars feed communally on passion vines, forming bright yellow clusters that stand out against the leaves. Like other members of the \u003ci\u003eHeliconius\u003c\/i\u003e group, the adults emit a faint, sweet scent from abdominal glands, a natural deterrent to predators. This combination of delicate pattern, social behaviour, and striking longevity makes the Sapho Longwing a distinctive presence in the tropical Americas.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091320481,"sku":"APW-BUG-SAP-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864091353249,"sku":"APW-BUG-SAP-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-sapho-longwing-print.jpg?v=1762259253"},{"product_id":"butterfly-sylphina-angel-chorinea-sylphina","title":"Butterfly - Sylphina Angel (Chorinea sylphina)","description":"\u003cp\u003eFound at altitudes between 2,000 and 3,000 metres, the Sylphina Angel thrives in cool, misty habitats rich in plant and insect life. Its wings are composed of translucent panels framed by black veins, edged with iridescent colour that changes with the angle of light. Adults sometimes rest beneath leaves or at the edges of streams, and if disturbed, they release a yellow defensive fluid from a small thoracic gland - an unusual behaviour among butterflies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCaterpillars begin life feeding together in small groups, later building their own shelters from folded leaves before pupating. The species belongs to the family \u003ci\u003eRiodinidae\u003c\/i\u003e, or metalmark butterflies, a group known for intricate wing structures and brilliant reflective colours. The Sylphina Angel is one of its most distinctive members - a reminder of the diversity and ingenuity found in Andean lepidoptera.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091254945,"sku":"APW-BUG-SYA-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864091287713,"sku":"APW-BUG-SYA-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-sylphina-angel-print.jpg?v=1762259110"},{"product_id":"butterfly-tailed-jay-graphium-agamemnon","title":"Butterfly – Tailed Jay (Graphium agamemnon)","description":"\u003cp\u003eRestless, fast and almost never still, the \u003ci\u003eTailed Jay\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eGraphium agamemnon\u003c\/i\u003e) is one of the few butterflies you are more likely to identify in flight than at rest. Found from India and Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia to northern Australia, it patrols gardens and forest edges with a rapid, darting style that makes most other swallowtails look sedate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tailed Jay is among the most widespread members of its genus, thriving in rainforests, gardens, and open countryside across its range. First described by Linnaeus in 1758, it is active year-round and produces multiple broods thanks to a remarkably fast life cycle — just over a month from egg to adult. Its constant motion is distinctive; adults rarely sit still, often fluttering their wings even while feeding on nectar from lantana and other flowering plants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe species’ bright green markings help it blend into foliage when resting, and subtle regional variations produce slight differences in tail length and colour intensity between males and females. The caterpillars are green and well camouflaged against their host plants, while adults are powerful fliers that rely on their agility for survival. Unlike many related species, Tailed Jays are seldom seen gathering at damp patches, though they still extract minerals from moist surfaces in a behaviour known as “puddling”.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091189409,"sku":"APW-BUG-TAJ-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864091222177,"sku":"APW-BUG-TAJ-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/butterfly-tailed-jay-mockup.jpg?v=1762258936"},{"product_id":"butterfly-viceroy-limenitis-archippus","title":"Butterfly - Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) built its survival strategy on looking like someone else. Its bright orange and black wing pattern so closely mirrors the Monarch's that the two are easy to confuse - a remarkable case of mimicry that has fascinated naturalists for generations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Viceroy is widespread across the United States and southern Canada, thriving in habitats with willows and poplars where its caterpillars feed. Adults are medium-sized butterflies with deep orange wings marked by black veins and a distinctive single black line that crosses the hindwings - the key feature that separates them from the Monarch. Their quick, low flight often takes them over open meadows, lake edges, and wetlands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike its migratory relative, the Viceroy overwinters locally in its larval stage, rolled securely within a leaf bound by silk. Its resemblance to the Monarch was once thought to be \u003ci\u003eBatesian mimicry\u003c\/i\u003e (a harmless species imitating a toxic one), but both are now known to be distasteful to predators. This shared warning signal, a form of \u003ci\u003eMüllerian mimicry\u003c\/i\u003e, strengthens protection for both species and demonstrates how evolution shapes pattern and behaviour together.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (70 × 50 cm | 28 × 20 in)","offer_id":45864091123873,"sku":"APW-BUG-VIC-L-700x500-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (100 × 70 cm | 40 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864091156641,"sku":"APW-BUG-VIC-L-1000x700-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/burtterfly-viceroy-mockup.jpg?v=1762258802"},{"product_id":"blue-fungus-beetle-gibbifer-californicus","title":"Blue Fungus Beetle (Gibbifer californicus)","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrilliant metallic blue and found living among fungi in western North America, the Blue Fungus Beetle (Gibbifer californicus) is one of the most visually arresting members of the pleasingly named pleasing fungus beetle family (Erotylidae).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Blue Fungus Beetle is found primarily in California, Oregon, and parts of the American Southwest, where it lives on and around bracket fungi growing on hardwood trees, particularly oaks. Both adults and larvae feed on the fruiting bodies of these polypore fungi, spending much of their lives in close association with decaying wood. Adults are relatively large for the family, with a smooth, domed body and an intense blue-black sheen that shifts subtly in different light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe relationship between fungus beetles and their host fungi is a quiet example of ecological interdependence - the beetles rely on fungi for food and shelter, while their movement between trees may help disperse fungal spores. It is a partnership largely hidden from view, playing out on the underside of logs and in the dim interiors of woodland, far from the more celebrated dramas of pollination and predation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864088043681,"sku":"APW-BUG-BFB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864088076449,"sku":"APW-BUG-BFB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-BlueFungusBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770837853"},{"product_id":"blue-spotted-tiger-beetle-cicindela-aurulenta","title":"Blue Spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela aurulenta)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Blue-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela aurulenta) wears iridescent green armour studded with vivid blue spots - a colour combination that makes it one of the most visually striking predatory beetles across South and Southeast Asia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlue-spotted Tiger Beetles inhabit sandy riverbanks, forest clearings, and open ground across India, China, and the Malay Archipelago. Like all tiger beetles, they are fierce hunters - sprinting after prey at speeds so great relative to their body size that they temporarily go blind mid-chase. Their long, sickle-shaped mandibles snap shut on small invertebrates with remarkable precision, making them among the most effective ground-level predators in their habitat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTiger beetles have long fascinated entomologists, not least because of their speed. Some species can cover over 120 body lengths per second - the equivalent of a human running at around 480 miles per hour. The Blue-spotted Tiger Beetle may not be the fastest of its clan, but its combination of metallic colour, elegant form, and predatory efficiency makes it one of the most admired.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087978145,"sku":"APW-BUG-BSTB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864088010913,"sku":"APW-BUG-BSTB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-BlueSpottedTigerBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770824792"},{"product_id":"torrid-jewel-bug-pachycoris-torridus","title":"Torrid Jewel Bug (Pachycoris torridus)","description":"\u003cp\u003eAcross Central and South America, the Torrid Jewel Bug (Pachycoris torridus) turns up in so many colour combinations - red, orange, green, black, all glossy and domed like a tiny lacquered shield - that no two individuals seem quite alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePachycoris torridus belongs to the family Scutelleridae, sometimes called shield-backed bugs, whose enlarged scutellum covers the abdomen like a smooth, rounded dome. It is found from Mexico through to Brazil and Argentina, where it feeds on the sap of various plants, including the physic nut (Jatropha curcas) - a crop plant grown for biofuel production, which has brought the bug to the attention of agricultural researchers. Both adults and nymphs feed gregariously, and females display a notable degree of maternal care, standing guard over their egg clusters and early-stage nymphs to protect them from parasitic wasps.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaternal care is relatively rare among true bugs and unusual among insects generally, making Pachycoris torridus a subject of interest for entomologists studying the evolution of parental behaviour. The egg-guarding female positions herself over her brood and will actively confront small predators and parasitoids - a level of investment that significantly improves offspring survival. It is a reminder that even among insects we casually call \"bugs,\" family life can be more attentive than we might expect.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087912609,"sku":"APW-BUG-TJB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087945377,"sku":"APW-BUG-TJB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-TorridJewelBug-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770826805"},{"product_id":"violin-beetle-mormolyce-phyllodes","title":"Violin Beetle (Mormolyce phyllodes)","description":"\u003cp\u003eFlattened to an almost implausible degree, the Violin Beetle (Mormolyce phyllodes) has a body shaped so precisely like its namesake instrument that it barely looks real. Its wide, translucent wing cases and paper-thin profile allow it to slip between layers of bracket fungi in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eViolin Beetles are found in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia and Indonesia. Their extreme flatness is an adaptation to life between the layers of bracket fungi growing on tree trunks, where they hunt for insect larvae and other small invertebrates. Despite their delicate appearance, they are active predators with powerful mandibles. When threatened, they can spray a caustic chemical from their abdomen - an effective deterrent that belies their papery, almost fragile look.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Violin Beetle belongs to the ground beetle family (Carabidae), though its arboreal habits set it apart from its earth-bound relatives. Its remarkable form is a striking example of how evolutionary pressure - in this case, the need to navigate extremely tight spaces - can produce shapes that seem more like design than biology. Few insects demonstrate quite so vividly that function and beauty are not always in conflict.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087847073,"sku":"APW-BUG-VB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087879841,"sku":"APW-BUG-VB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-ViolinBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770824961"},{"product_id":"st-marks-fly-bibio-marci","title":"St Mark's Fly (Bibio marci)","description":"\u003cp\u003eNamed for its habit of appearing around St Mark's Day on 25 April, the St Mark's Fly (Bibio marci) is one of those insects most people have seen but few can name. Its glossy black body and characteristic dangling legs make it easy to identify - once noticed, it is hard to forget.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSt Mark's Flies take their common name from their habit of appearing around St Mark's Day (25 April) in the British Isles, though their season can stretch from late March into June depending on conditions. Males are frequently seen drifting slowly through the air in loose swarms, legs trailing beneath them, hovering at head height near hedgerows and woodland edges. This languid, almost aimless-looking flight is a mating display - females are drawn to the swarms, and pairing takes place on the wing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite their unremarkable appearance, St Mark's Flies play a quiet but significant ecological role. Adults are effective pollinators, visiting a wide range of flowers, while their larvae spend months in the soil feeding on decaying plant material and helping to break down organic matter. They are a textbook example of the kind of uncharismatic insect that underpins ecosystem health without attracting much attention - essential workers of the invertebrate world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087781537,"sku":"APW-BUG-SMF-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087814305,"sku":"APW-BUG-SMF-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-StMarksFly-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770825048"},{"product_id":"stag-beetle-lucanus-cervus","title":"Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus)","description":"\u003cp\u003eEurope's largest beetle needs no introduction, but deserves one anyway. The male Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus) carries a pair of enormous, antler-like mandibles so exaggerated they seem almost ornamental - natural weaponry that gives the species its common name and its unmistakable silhouette.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStag Beetles are found across much of Europe, with strongholds in southern England, France, and Germany. Adults emerge in late spring and are most active on warm summer evenings, when males can sometimes be seen flying clumsily between trees in search of mates. The oversized mandibles are used in wrestling bouts with rival males - dramatic but rarely harmful encounters in which each beetle attempts to flip the other onto its back. Females, with their smaller but sharper jaws, are arguably the more effective biters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Stag Beetle spends most of its life hidden from view. Larvae develop underground for up to seven years, feeding on decaying wood and slowly growing to the size of a human thumb. This long developmental period makes the species vulnerable to habitat loss - particularly the removal of dead wood from parks, gardens, and woodlands. Once widespread, Stag Beetles have declined significantly across northern Europe and are now a protected species in several countries. Their spectacular appearance has made them a flagship for invertebrate conservation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087716001,"sku":"APW-BUG-SB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087748769,"sku":"APW-BUG-SB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-StagBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770825118"},{"product_id":"seven-spot-ladybird-coccinella-septempunctata","title":"Seven Spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)","description":"\u003cp\u003eSeven black spots on glossy red wing cases - the Seven-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) has a design so simple and iconic it barely needs illustration. It is perhaps the most familiar and best-loved beetle in Europe, recognised even by people who couldn't name another insect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Seven-spot Ladybird is found throughout Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to North America as a biological control agent. It is a voracious predator of aphids - a single adult can consume over 5,000 in its lifetime - making it a welcome presence in gardens and on farmland alike. Adults overwinter in sheltered spots, sometimes gathering in large clusters in leaf litter, window frames, and outbuildings before emerging in spring to feed and breed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFew insects enjoy such a consistently positive reputation. Ladybirds have been regarded as symbols of good luck across many cultures for centuries - their association with the Virgin Mary gave rise to the English common name (Our Lady's bird), while similar religious and folk connections exist in French (bête à bon Dieu), German (Marienkäfer), and Russian (bozhya korovka). It is a rare example of a beetle that has achieved genuine cultural affection, transcending the squeamishness that many people feel towards insects.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087650465,"sku":"APW-BUG-SSL-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087683233,"sku":"APW-BUG-SSL-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-SevenSpotLadybird-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770825259"},{"product_id":"pied-hoverfly-scaeva-pyrastri","title":"Pied Hoverfly (Scaeva pyrastri)","description":"\u003cp\u003eHovering motionless in mid-air with the poise of a tiny helicopter, the Pied Hoverfly (Scaeva pyrastri) is one of the more conspicuous and elegant flies found across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Its bold crescent-shaped white markings on a black body make identification straightforward - a rarity among hoverflies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePied Hoverflies are strong migrants, often appearing in large numbers in the British Isles during summer after crossing the English Channel from continental Europe. Adults feed on nectar and pollen, visiting a wide range of flowers and serving as effective pollinators. Their larvae, by contrast, are dedicated aphid predators - soft-bodied, slug-like grubs that patrol plant stems at night, consuming hundreds of aphids before pupating.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHoverflies are among the most accomplished fliers in the insect world. Their ability to hover perfectly still, dart sideways, and even fly backwards is achieved through exceptionally fast wingbeats - up to 300 per second - and sophisticated sensory feedback systems. Many species, including the Pied Hoverfly, also benefit from a superficial resemblance to wasps, a form of Batesian mimicry that deters predators despite the fly being entirely harmless. It is a double life of quiet usefulness: pollinator by day, pest controller by night, defended by a disguise.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087584929,"sku":"APW-BUG-PH-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087617697,"sku":"APW-BUG-PH-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-PiedHoverfly-mockup-1_5ee6b342-9dbc-4efb-9e1c-1ead1a6a73d2.jpg?v=1770825367"},{"product_id":"phosphorus-beetle-phosphorus-virescens","title":"Phosphorus Beetle (Phosphorus virescens)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe name says it all, almost. Phosphorus virescens is a large Southeast Asian longhorn beetle whose subtle greenish exoskeleton - hinted at by its species name, meaning 'becoming green' - gives it a distinctive, nearly luminous quality under the right light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhosphorus virescens is found in tropical forests across the Malay Archipelago, including Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is associated with broadleaf trees. Like most longhorn beetles, its larvae are wood-borers, developing inside the trunks and branches of living or recently dead trees over an extended period. Adults are primarily nocturnal and are strongly attracted to light - a habit that brings them into frequent contact with human settlements at the edges of forested areas. Their large size and dramatic antennae make them conspicuous visitors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe longhorn beetle family is one of the most species-rich groups in the entire insect order, with over 35,000 described species worldwide. Many are important in forest ecology, their larvae playing a key role in breaking down wood and recycling nutrients. Phosphorus virescens is among the more imposing members of the family in its region, and its name - shared with the chemical element associated with light - lends it an air of quiet drama that its nocturnal habits do nothing to dispel.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087519393,"sku":"APW-BUG-PB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087552161,"sku":"APW-BUG-PB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-PhosphorusBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770826864"},{"product_id":"orange-ladybird-halyzia-sedecimguttata","title":"Orange Ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhere most ladybirds go for bold reds and blacks, the Orange Ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata) takes a subtler approach. Its translucent orange wing cases marked with up to sixteen white spots give it a softer, more understated beauty - and a diet to match, since it feeds on mildew rather than aphids.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike most ladybirds, the Orange Ladybird feeds not on aphids but on mildew - the powdery fungal growth that forms on the leaves of deciduous trees, particularly sycamores, ashes, and beeches. This unusual diet means it is most often found in woodland canopies and mature hedgerows rather than in gardens and allotments. It was once considered a relatively scarce species in Britain, but has expanded its range significantly since the 1990s, possibly in response to rising temperatures and an increase in the sycamore trees on which it frequently feeds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Orange Ladybird's translucent wing cases are unusual among ladybirds and give the insect an almost porcelain quality - quite different from the hard, lacquered look of most Coccinellidae. Its quiet expansion northward through Britain makes it a useful indicator of environmental change, tracked by citizen science recording schemes that rely on the public to report sightings. It is a reminder that not all ecological shifts involve dramatic arrivals or declines - some unfold gently, one woodland at a time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087453857,"sku":"APW-BUG-OL-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087486625,"sku":"APW-BUG-OL-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-OrangeLadybird-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770825473"},{"product_id":"mydas-fly-gauromydas-heros","title":"Mydas Fly (Gauromydas heros)","description":"\u003cp\u003eGauromydas heros is, quite simply, the largest fly in the world. Found in the forests and cerrado of South America - particularly Brazil - this member of the family Mydidae can reach body lengths of over 60mm with a wingspan to match, a scale that makes it genuinely startling to encounter in the field.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGauromydas heros is a member of the family Mydidae, a group of large, often wasp-mimicking flies found in warm regions worldwide. Despite its formidable size and dark, heavy-set body with a distinctive orange band on the abdomen, it is entirely harmless to humans - it has no sting, and adults are thought to feed on nectar or possibly not at all during their brief adult lives. Their larvae develop in the nests of leaf-cutter ants (Atta species), where they are believed to be predators of the ant brood - a bold living arrangement given the ferocity with which these ants defend their colonies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe association between Mydas fly larvae and leaf-cutter ant nests is one of the more remarkable and poorly understood relationships in tropical entomology. How the larvae gain access to and survive within a colony of millions of aggressive ants remains largely mysterious. Gauromydas heros is a scarce insect, seldom seen and difficult to study, which only adds to its reputation. Holding the title of the world's largest fly is distinction enough, but doing so while living among leaf-cutters suggests a life considerably more interesting than its size alone implies.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087388321,"sku":"APW-BUG-MF-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087421089,"sku":"APW-BUG-MF-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-MydasFly-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770826917"},{"product_id":"melon-fly-bactrocera-cucurbitae","title":"Melon Fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae)","description":"\u003cp\u003eSmall enough to overlook and patterned enough to admire, the Melon Fly (Zeugodacus cucurbitae) is a fruit fly native to South and Southeast Asia whose amber-tinted, dark-banded wings and bright yellow-and-black body give it a graphic quality that belies its tiny size.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Melon Fly is a significant agricultural pest across much of the tropical and subtropical world, having spread far beyond its native range to Africa, the Pacific Islands, and parts of the Americas. Females lay their eggs beneath the skin of cucurbits - melons, cucumbers, courgettes, and gourds - using a sharp ovipositor to pierce the fruit surface. The larvae feed and develop inside, causing the fruit to rot from within. This combination of wide host range and efficient reproduction has made it one of the most economically damaging fruit flies globally.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite its pest status, the Melon Fly is an elegant insect under magnification, with elaborately patterned wings that males display during courtship rituals. The species has become a model organism for studying invasive insect biology and the development of sterile insect techniques (SIT) - programmes that release sterilised males to suppress wild populations. It is a case where scientific understanding of a species' biology has been driven almost entirely by the need to control it, rather than simple curiosity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087322785,"sku":"APW-BUG-MEF-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087355553,"sku":"APW-BUG-MEF-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-MelonFly-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770825598"},{"product_id":"longhorn-beetle-pachyteria-equestris","title":"Longhorn Beetle (Pachyteria equestris)","description":"\u003cp\u003eAmong the thousands of longhorn beetle species worldwide, Pachyteria equestris stands out for sheer colour. Found in the Philippines and parts of Southeast Asia, its vivid metallic green or blue-green elytra, often contrasted with reddish tones on the thorax, give it an almost jewelled flamboyance unusual even for the Cerambycidae.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePachyteria equestris is found in tropical lowland and montane forests, where its larvae develop inside the wood of broadleaf trees. Adults are active during the day - unusual for many longhorn beetles - and are often found on flowers and foliage, their bright colouring making them conspicuous visitors. The long, curved antennae characteristic of the family are well developed in this species, and males use them both for sensing their environment and in interactions with rivals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Philippines is a biodiversity hotspot with an exceptionally high rate of endemism - many of its species are found nowhere else on Earth. Pachyteria equestris is one of several ornate longhorn species in the region that have attracted the attention of collectors for their colour and form. The broader genus Pachyteria includes a number of visually spectacular species across Southeast Asia, but equestris remains one of the most sought-after - a beetle whose combination of colour, proportion, and tropical provenance gives it the air of something designed rather than evolved.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087257249,"sku":"APW-BUG-LHB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087290017,"sku":"APW-BUG-LHB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-LonghornBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770826974"},{"product_id":"texas-ironclad-beetle-zopherus-nodulosus","title":"Texas Ironclad Beetle (Zopherus nodulosus)","description":"\u003cp\u003eTry to pin a Texas Ironclad Beetle (Zopherus nodulosus) and you'll understand how it got its name. This tanklike insect from the south-central United States and northern Mexico has an exoskeleton so heavily armoured it can reportedly bend an entomologist's mounting pin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Texas Ironclad Beetle is found in deciduous woodlands and scrubland across Texas, Oklahoma, and neighbouring states, where it feeds on fungi growing on the bark of dead and dying trees - particularly pecans, oaks, and elms. It is slow-moving, flightless, and largely nocturnal, relying on its extraordinary toughness rather than speed or flight for defence. The exoskeleton is so hard that entomologists have historically struggled to pin specimens without bending their pins - a practical difficulty that has become part of the beetle's legend.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable durability has drawn the attention of materials scientists studying biological armour. The beetle's exoskeleton achieves its strength through interlocking joints between the wing cases - a form of biological engineering that distributes force across multiple connection points rather than concentrating stress. Research into these structures has influenced the design of fasteners and joints in aerospace engineering - a satisfying example of a small, slow beetle contributing to the science of flight, despite having given up flying itself.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087191713,"sku":"APW-BUG-TICB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087224481,"sku":"APW-BUG-TICB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-TexasIroncladBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770825710"},{"product_id":"goliath-beetle-goliathus-goliatus","title":"Goliath Beetle (Goliathus goliatus)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWeighing in at over 80 grams in its larval stage - roughly the heft of a small apple - the Goliath Beetle (Goliathus goliatus) is one of the heaviest insects on Earth. Native to equatorial Africa's tropical forests, it is built on a scale that challenges the very idea of what a beetle should be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGoliath Beetles are found in countries across West and Central Africa, from Cameroon and Nigeria to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Males bear a distinctive Y-shaped horn on the head, used in shoving contests with rivals over feeding sites and mates. Despite their bulk, adults are capable of flight, producing a deep, buzzing drone as they move between trees in search of sugary fruit, sap, and pollen. Their larvae develop in rich, decaying plant material on the forest floor, growing to extraordinary size over several months before pupating.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sheer scale of the Goliath Beetle raises interesting questions about the limits of insect body size. Insects breathe through a network of tiny tubes called tracheae that deliver oxygen directly to their tissues - a system that becomes less efficient as body size increases. The Goliath Beetle essentially pushes this system to its modern limit, and its existence is a reminder that the giant insects of the Carboniferous period - dragonflies with 70cm wingspans - were made possible by an atmosphere far richer in oxygen than today's.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087126177,"sku":"APW-BUG-GOB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087158945,"sku":"APW-BUG-GOB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-GoliathBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770825785"},{"product_id":"bluebottle-fly-calliphora-vomitoria","title":"Bluebottle Fly (Calliphora vomitoria)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Bluebottle (Calliphora vomitoria) is a far more handsome insect than its kitchen-pest reputation suggests. Beneath the nuisance lies a robust fly cloaked in dense metallic blue-violet - genuinely jewel-like, if only you could stop long enough to appreciate it before reaching for the swatter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBluebottles are among the most widespread and ecologically important flies in temperate regions. Adults are attracted to carrion, decaying organic matter, and open wounds, where females lay their eggs in tightly packed clusters. The larvae - maggots - develop rapidly, breaking down dead tissue with remarkable efficiency. This habit, while unappealing, makes bluebottles essential decomposers, and has led to their use in forensic entomology, where the age of maggots found on a body can help establish the time of death with considerable accuracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Bluebottle's metallic colour is produced by structural interference in the cuticle rather than pigment, and the fly's compound eyes - a mosaic of thousands of individual lenses - are themselves objects of considerable optical sophistication. Few insects illustrate quite so well the gap between our aesthetic response to a creature and its actual biological interest. The Bluebottle is simultaneously one of the least popular and most ecologically essential insects in any temperate garden.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864087060641,"sku":"APW-BUG-BBF-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087093409,"sku":"APW-BUG-BBF-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-BluebottleFly-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770825863"},{"product_id":"assassin-bug-triatoma-infestans","title":"Assassin Bug (Triatoma infestans)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Assassin Bug (Triatoma infestans) has earned its ominous common name several times over. Found across South America, this flattened, orange-and-black banded insect is one of the most medically significant creatures on the continent - a nocturnal blood-feeder and the principal vector of Chagas disease.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTriatoma infestans is the principal vector of Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Commonly known as the kissing bug - a name derived from its habit of biting sleeping humans around the mouth and face - it feeds on blood at night and transmits the parasite not through the bite itself but through its faeces, which are deposited near the wound and rubbed in when the sleeper scratches. It is found primarily in and around human dwellings, hiding in cracks in walls, behind furniture, and in thatched roofing during the day and emerging after dark to feed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChagas disease affects an estimated six to seven million people, primarily in rural communities across Latin America, and Triatoma infestans has been the target of major international control campaigns involving insecticide spraying and housing improvement programmes. These efforts have achieved significant success - the insect has been eliminated from large areas of Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay - but it persists in parts of Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina. Few insects illustrate so clearly the relationship between poverty, housing quality, and disease - or the difference that sustained public health intervention can make.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086995105,"sku":"APW-BUG-ASB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864087027873,"sku":"APW-BUG-ASB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-AssassinBug-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770827029"},{"product_id":"green-tiger-beetle-cicindela-campestris","title":"Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris)","description":"\u003cp\u003ePound for pound, the Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris) is one of the fastest predators in Britain. This vivid metallic green hunter tears across sandy heaths and coastal paths at speeds that, scaled up, would leave a cheetah embarrassed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGreen Tiger Beetles favour open, sunny habitats - heathland, sand dunes, coastal paths, and chalky grassland - where they hunt small invertebrates on bare ground. They are active on warm days from April to September, sprinting after prey in short, rapid bursts before pausing, recalibrating, and sprinting again. This stop-start hunting style exists because the beetle moves so fast that its visual processing cannot keep up - it effectively outruns its own eyesight and must stop to relocate its target.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe larvae are ambush predators of a quite different character. They live in vertical burrows in sandy soil, their flattened heads flush with the surface, waiting for passing invertebrates to stray within reach. Hooks on the larva's abdomen anchor it in the burrow so that struggling prey cannot drag it out. It is a patient, economical hunting strategy that contrasts sharply with the frenetic adult. Two stages of life, two entirely different philosophies of predation - both highly effective.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086929569,"sku":"APW-BUG-GTB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864086962337,"sku":"APW-BUG-GTB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-GreenTigerBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770825971"},{"product_id":"green-shield-bug-palomena-prasina","title":"Green Shield Bug (Palomena prasina)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Green Shield Bug (Palomena prasina) is one of those insects that hides a quiet trick in plain sight - bright green through spring and summer, it shifts to bronze or brown as winter approaches, a subtle seasonal costume change that most people never notice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGreen Shield Bugs feed on a wide range of plants, using their piercing mouthparts to tap into the sap of leaves, buds, and developing fruits. They are particularly fond of beans, raspberries, and hazelnuts, though they rarely cause significant damage to garden crops. Like most shield bugs, they communicate through substrate-borne vibrations - low-frequency signals transmitted through the plant stems on which they sit, inaudible to us but an essential part of their courtship and territorial behaviour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShield bugs are sometimes called stink bugs for good reason. When disturbed, the Green Shield Bug releases a pungent liquid from glands on its thorax - a chemical cocktail of aldehydes that tastes unpleasant and deters most predators. The smell lingers on hands and clothing, which may partly explain why these abundant insects are admired at a distance more often than they are closely examined. Their simple, geometric form and seasonal colour change make them one of the most quietly elegant insects in any European garden.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086864033,"sku":"APW-BUG-GSB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864086896801,"sku":"APW-BUG-GSB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-GreenShieldBug-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770826043"},{"product_id":"green-carab-beetle-calosoma-schayeri","title":"Green Carab Beetle (Calosoma schayeri)","description":"\u003cp\u003eAustralia's Green Carab Beetle (Calosoma schayeri) has the polished, almost enamelled look of something that belongs in a display case rather than a paddock. Its metallic green elytra, edged with coppery or golden tones, make it one of the more handsome ground beetles in the Australian landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCalosoma schayeri is found across much of eastern and southern Australia, in habitats ranging from open woodland and grassland to suburban gardens. Like its relatives in the genus Calosoma worldwide, it is an active and voracious predator - both adults and larvae hunt caterpillars and other soft-bodied invertebrates on the ground and in low vegetation. Its appetite for pest caterpillars has earned it a positive reputation among farmers and gardeners, and it is one of a handful of Australian beetles that are widely recognised as beneficial.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe genus Calosoma - the \"caterpillar hunters\" - is distributed across every continent except Antarctica and includes some of the most effective natural enemies of defoliating moth caterpillars. Calosoma schayeri is the principal Australian representative of this cosmopolitan lineage, and shares the family trait of producing a pungent, oily secretion when handled - a chemical defence that discourages predators but does little to endear the beetle to anyone who picks one up. Its combination of beauty, ecological utility, and chemical truculence makes it a very typical calosomid.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086765729,"sku":"APW-BUG-GCB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864086798497,"sku":"APW-BUG-GCB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-GreenCarabBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770827126"},{"product_id":"giraffe-weevil-trachelophorus-giraffa","title":"Giraffe Weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe male Giraffe Weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa) has a neck two to three times longer than the female's, giving it a silhouette that looks more like surrealist sculpture than a beetle. Endemic to the forests of Madagascar, this extraordinary insect uses its absurd proportions for a surprisingly practical purpose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGiraffe Weevils are found in the rainforests and deciduous forests of eastern Madagascar, where they are associated with a small tree known locally as the \"giraffe beetle tree\" (Dichaetanthera arborea). Males use their extended necks in combat, wrestling with rivals over access to females in slow, deliberate bouts that look like miniature jousting tournaments. The winning male mates while the female carefully rolls a single leaf into a tight tube, lays an egg inside, and snips it from the branch - a precisely engineered nursery that falls to the forest floor, where the larva develops in relative safety.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMadagascar's long isolation from mainland Africa has produced a remarkable array of endemic species, and the Giraffe Weevil is among the most visually dramatic. The exaggerated neck of the male is a product of sexual selection - the same evolutionary force responsible for the peacock's tail and the narwhal's tusk - and demonstrates that even among beetles, natural selection does not always favour the subtle or the streamlined.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086700193,"sku":"APW-BUG-GIW-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864086732961,"sku":"APW-BUG-GIW-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-GiraffeWeevil-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770826168"},{"product_id":"giant-mesquite-bug-thasus-neocalifornicus","title":"Giant Mesquite Bug (Thasus neocalifornicus)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Giant Mesquite Bug (Thasus neocalifornicus) goes through one of nature's more dramatic wardrobe changes. As a nymph, it gathers in dense, conspicuous clusters on mesquite trees, dressed in bright blue, orange, and red. As an adult, it settles into a more sober dark brown-to-black livery with vivid orange markings - still impressive, but considerably more dignified.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGiant Mesquite Bugs feed on the seed pods, leaves, and young stems of mesquite (Prosopis species), using their piercing mouthparts to extract sap and nutrients. They are gregarious insects, with nymphs congregating in large groups that function as a collective warning display - their bright colours advertise the fact that the bugs accumulate distasteful compounds from their host plant. Adults are among the largest true bugs in North America, reaching lengths of around 40mm, and they can produce a noticeable odour when handled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe close relationship between these bugs and mesquite trees anchors them firmly in the ecology of the American Southwest - a landscape where mesquite has been both a vital resource for indigenous peoples and a subject of intense debate among ranchers who consider it an invasive pest. The Giant Mesquite Bug's dependence on these trees makes it a quiet participant in one of the most long-running ecological arguments in the region, entirely indifferent to human opinions about its host plant.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086634657,"sku":"APW-BUG-GMB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864086667425,"sku":"APW-BUG-GMB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-GiantMesquiteBug-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770826287"},{"product_id":"dark-giant-horsefly-tabanus-sudeticus","title":"Dark Giant Horsefly (Tabanus sudeticus)","description":"\u003cp\u003eAt 25mm long, the Dark Giant Horsefly (Tabanus sudeticus) holds the title of Europe's largest fly. Its heavy, dark body is imposing enough, but it's the eyes that steal the show - large, iridescent compound lenses banded in shimmering greens and purples, among the most visually striking of any European insect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTabanus sudeticus is found across Europe, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, in habitats near livestock and large mammals - moorland, marshes, woodland edges, and farmland. Females are blood-feeders, using blade-like mouthparts to slash the skin of cattle, horses, and deer before lapping up the pooling blood. The bite is painful, and heavy infestations can cause significant distress to livestock. Males, by contrast, are harmless nectar-feeders, and both sexes can be found visiting flowers in warm weather. Larvae develop in damp soil and mud near waterways, where they are predators of other invertebrate larvae.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHorsefly eyes are objects of genuine optical fascination. The iridescent colour bands visible in life are produced by thin-film interference in the corneal layers - the same physics that creates colour in soap bubbles - and disappear after death as the structures dry and collapse. Recent research has shown that the pattern of these bands may help horseflies regulate the polarisation of incoming light, aiding navigation and the detection of water surfaces. It is a sophisticated piece of biological optics housed in an insect most people encounter only as a source of sharp pain on a summer afternoon.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086569121,"sku":"APW-BUG-DGH-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864086601889,"sku":"APW-BUG-DGH-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-DarkGiantHorsefly-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770827179"},{"product_id":"cotton-harlequin-bug-tectocoris-diophthalmus","title":"Cotton Harlequin Bug (Tectocoris diophthalmus)","description":"\u003cp\u003eNo two Cotton Harlequin Bugs (Tectocoris diophthalmus) seem to wear quite the same outfit. This broad, shield-shaped Australian insect comes in vivid combinations of orange, red, blue, and metallic green that vary dramatically between individuals and regions - a walking lesson in natural variation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCotton Harlequin Bugs are found across eastern and northern Australia, where they feed on plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae), including native hibiscus, kurrajong, and - to the frustration of farmers - cotton. They are shield bugs (Scutelleridae), with an enlarged scutellum that covers the wings like a rounded dome. Nymphs are often even more colourful than adults, and both stages are frequently found in clusters on their host plants, their bright colours serving as a collective warning to predators.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe extraordinary colour variation in this species has made it a subject of genetic and developmental research. Individuals from the same population can display strikingly different colour patterns - metallic blue and orange, red and green, or predominantly black - a level of polymorphism that is unusual even among shield bugs. The underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, but the result is one of the most visually diverse single species in the insect world - a natural demonstration that pattern and colour need not be fixed to be functional.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086503585,"sku":"APW-BUG-CHB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864086536353,"sku":"APW-BUG-CHB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-CottonHarlequinBug-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770826398"},{"product_id":"colorado-potato-beetle-leptinotarsa-decemlineata","title":"Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) looks almost deliberately designed - bold black-and-yellow striped wing cases, a neatly spotted orange thorax, and a clean graphic quality that belies its status as one of the most economically destructive insects in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Colorado Potato Beetle is native to the Rocky Mountain region of North America, where it originally fed on wild members of the nightshade family. When potato cultivation spread westward in the mid-19th century, the beetle switched hosts with devastating efficiency. By the 1870s it had reached the Atlantic coast, and within decades it had crossed the ocean to Europe. Today it is found across much of the Northern Hemisphere and remains one of the most damaging pests of potato crops worldwide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe beetle's success is partly due to its remarkable ability to develop resistance to pesticides - it has overcome nearly every chemical control thrown at it, including DDT, and is resistant to more classes of insecticide than almost any other species. This adaptability has made it a model organism for studying the evolution of resistance and has driven research into biological control methods. Few insects demonstrate quite so clearly that the most effective designs in nature are not always the ones we would choose.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086438049,"sku":"APW-BUG-CPB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864086470817,"sku":"APW-BUG-CPB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-ColoradoPotatoBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770826458"},{"product_id":"christmas-beetle-anoplognathus-pallidicollis","title":"Christmas Beetle (Anoplognathus pallidicollis)","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn Australia, summer arrives with a soundtrack of cicadas and a shower of Christmas Beetles (Anoplognathus pallidicollis) bumbling into porch lights. Named for their mass emergence during the warm, humid weeks around December, these glossy, tawny-gold scarabs have become as much a part of the season as pavlova.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnoplognathus pallidicollis is one of the more common Christmas beetle species in southeastern Australia, found from Queensland through New South Wales to Victoria. Adults feed on eucalyptus leaves, sometimes gathering in numbers sufficient to defoliate young trees. Their larvae - fat, C-shaped grubs - develop underground for one to two years, feeding on grass roots and organic matter in the soil. On warm December and January evenings, newly emerged adults are strongly attracted to lights and frequently blunder into houses, barbecues, and outdoor gatherings - an annual intrusion that has become part of the cultural fabric of the Australian summer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn recent decades, Christmas beetle numbers have declined noticeably in many parts of southeastern Australia. Habitat loss, changes in land management, and the compaction of soils by livestock are thought to be contributing factors, as the larvae depend on loose, undisturbed ground in which to develop. The genus Anoplognathus contains around 35 species, many of them brilliantly metallic, but it is the common species like pallidicollis - the ones that once arrived reliably each December - whose absence is most keenly felt. Their seasonal appearance once seemed as dependable as the summer itself.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086339745,"sku":"APW-BUG-CRB-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864086372513,"sku":"APW-BUG-CRB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-ChristmasBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770827240"},{"product_id":"caterpillar-hunter-calosoma-scrutator","title":"Caterpillar Hunter (Calosoma scrutator)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Caterpillar Hunter (Calosoma scrutator) is proof that ground beetles are anything but dull. This large North American predator sports metallic green elytra edged with vivid blue, red, and gold - a jewel-like intensity that earns it a place among the continent's most spectacular insects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCalosoma scrutator, sometimes called the Fiery Searcher, is found across the eastern and central United States, as well as parts of southern Canada and Mexico. Both adults and larvae are voracious predators of caterpillars, climbing trees and shrubs to hunt among the foliage - an unusual behaviour for a ground beetle. They are particularly active during outbreaks of tent caterpillars and gypsy moths, and a single adult can consume hundreds of caterpillars in a season. This appetite has made them one of the most valued natural enemies of defoliating pests in North American forests and orchards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen disturbed, the Caterpillar Hunter sprays a hot, caustic secretion from its abdomen - a defence so effective and so pungent that the beetle's reputation among amateur collectors is one of wary respect. The secretion can stain skin and produce a burning sensation, and its smell lingers long after the encounter. Despite this, Calosoma scrutator is a genuinely beautiful insect, and one whose ecological services - consuming enormous numbers of pest caterpillars - far outweigh the occasional unpleasant encounter. It is named scrutator, the searcher, and it earns the title every night.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086274209,"sku":"APW-BUG-CPH-P-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864086306977,"sku":"APW-BUG-CPH-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-CaterpillarHunter-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770827301"},{"product_id":"cardinal-beetle-pyrochroa-serraticornis","title":"Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis)","description":"\u003cp\u003eFew British beetles make such an immediate impression as the Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis), whose vivid scarlet wing cases flash like a warning flare against the bark and dead wood where it spends most of its life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCardinal Beetles are found in woodlands, hedgerows, and gardens, where adults are most visible in May and June. They are often seen resting on flowers, fence posts, and sunny surfaces near dead wood. The larvae develop under the bark of dead and decaying trees - oaks, beeches, and willows - where they are predators of other insect larvae. Adults are thought to feed on small insects, nectar, and pollen, and their bright red colouring may serve as a warning - some evidence suggests they can produce mildly distasteful compounds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe red colouring that gives the Cardinal Beetle its name places it in a long tradition of associations between scarlet insects and religious or regal symbolism. The three British Pyrochroa species - distinguished mainly by head colour (red, black, or orange) - are among the most reliable indicators of dead-wood habitat, and their presence is a sign that a woodland or garden retains enough structural diversity to support a complex invertebrate community. They are beautiful, useful, and entirely harmless - a combination that should, by rights, make them more widely appreciated than they are.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086143137,"sku":"APW-BUG-CDB-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864086175905,"sku":"APW-BUG-CDB-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-CardinalBeetle-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770826607"},{"product_id":"human-botfly-dermatobia-hominis","title":"Human botfly (Dermatobia hominis)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Human Botfly (Dermatobia hominis) is one of those creatures that makes you grateful most parasites are too small to think about. Native to Central and South America, it doesn't lay its eggs on its host directly - instead, it hijacks mosquitoes and other biting flies, gluing its eggs to their bodies so they hatch on contact with warm skin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Human Botfly is found in tropical Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. Rather than approaching its host directly, the female captures a blood-feeding insect - typically a mosquito or tick - and attaches her eggs to its body. When this unwitting carrier lands on a warm-blooded host, the eggs hatch and the larvae burrow into the skin, where they develop over several weeks in a breathing hole maintained just below the surface. The resulting lump is uncomfortable but rarely dangerous, and the larvae eventually emerge, drop to the ground, and pupate in the soil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis strategy - known as phoresy - is an extraordinary example of evolved indirection. By outsourcing the risky task of host contact to another insect, the Botfly avoids the defensive behaviours (swatting, grooming) that make direct egg-laying hazardous. It is parasitism with a middleman, and it works with disquieting efficiency. For all its unpleasantness from a human perspective, the Botfly's life cycle is one of the most ingenious solutions to a biological problem in the entire insect world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Axisophy","offers":[{"title":"Large (50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28 in)","offer_id":45864086077601,"sku":"APW-BUG-HBF-500x700-AM-COL","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"XLarge (70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40 in)","offer_id":45864086110369,"sku":"APW-BUG-HBF-P-700x1000-AM-COL","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/files\/Axisophy-HumanBotfly-mockup-1.jpg?v=1770826715"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0483\/1546\/5889\/collections\/Axisophy-bugs-collection.jpg?v=1771503435","url":"https:\/\/axisophy.com\/collections\/natural-history-prints.oembed","provider":"Axisophy","version":"1.0","type":"link"}