Sapho Longwing Butterfly (Heliconius sapho)

Most butterflies live a few weeks because nectar is sugar and little else. Heliconius butterflies solved that by learning to eat pollen, collecting it on the proboscis and dissolving out the amino acids, and the protein this supplies lets a Sapho Longwing live up to six months.

A long life makes memory worth having. These butterflies learn reliable nectar routes and follow them daily, and they return to the same branch to roost each evening, in groups, with striking fidelity.

The deep indigo-black forewings and crisp white bands are a warning pattern, and it is honest - the adults carry defensive compounds and emit a faint sweet scent from abdominal glands that predators learn to avoid. Caterpillars feed communally on passion vines in bright yellow clusters. The species runs from Mexico through Central America to Ecuador.

A vector illustration of the Sapho Longwing in dorsal view, drawn for the Bugs series of insect art prints.

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

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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.

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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.

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