Butterfly - Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana)

Named 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.

The species’ caterpillars feed on Aristolochia 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 Trogonoptera brookiana an enduring emblem of the region’s biodiversity.

Bugs is a collection of natural history illustration prints drawn from the insect world - beetles, flies, bugs, butterflies, and moths selected for the strangeness, beauty, and variety of their forms.

Each illustration is adapted from Simon Tyler's book Bugs, published by Pavilion in 2017 and subsequently published in French and Chinese. The series draws on the tradition of scientific natural history illustration - precise, considered, and attentive to the details that make each species distinctive.

Insects account for the majority of all known animal species on Earth. This collection is a small survey of what that diversity looks like.

All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.

Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.

Large · 70 × 50 cm · 28 × 20 in

XLarge · 100 × 70 cm · 40 × 28 in

UK: Free · 3-5 working days

Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges

USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days

Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days

Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days

All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.

Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.

Full delivery information →

Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.

Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.

Full returns policy →