The Lore of the Butterfly

I find butterflies fascinating. I have studied them, collected them, and drawn them. They have been a source of inspiration for poetry and painting. This group of captivating insects is categorized in the order of Lepidoptera. According to the literature, butterflies have been the subject of Egyptian hieroglyphs as much as 3500 years ago) (Wikipedia).
According to Lafcadio Hearn, butterflies have been depicted as an embodiment of a “person’s soul”

These photos were taken with my cell phone while we were in the Butterfly Gardens at Niagara Falls. That was a wonderful experience of light and colour.

Below are examples of sketches of butterflies from text books and dried specimens I’ve collected over the years. They’ve shown up in my paintings and on my art boxes.

These were examples of raised folk art that I designed.

Here is an example of an old cedar box that I keep my butterfly collection in. I have decorated it with a tropical butterfly.

This is my watercolour box, which I treasure. I have decorated it also with a pair of tropical butterflies.

A close up of a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) one of my watercolours.

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) on Ingres paper.

Monarch (Danaus plexippus) part of a watercolour and acrylic painting.

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) Original watercolour and acrylic.