Moorcroft Boxed PAINTED LADIES LIMITED EDITION 2/15 Retail Price £895

Limited Edition 2/15,  Designed & Signed by Nicola Slaney

In June, high above our heads, clouds of painted lady butterflies arrive on the summer breeze. This delicate butterfly with its orange and dark brown patterned paper-thin wings has a monumental migration. They travel from Africa to the Arctic and back again, the longest migration of any butterfly, chasing the summer up and down the northern hemisphere in their endless restless search for a perfect breeding ground. When they arrive in the UK it is not too warm and there is plenty of rain and plants for them to enjoy. The male perches somewhere that a female is likely to pass by and a courtship dance plays out with up to eight butterflies fluttering in circles around each other in between thistles or asters, their flowers of choice.

The story of the intrepid painted lady butterfly inspired Nicola to create a plaque containing seven of these explorers each dancing around a bouquet of asters with their golden centres reminiscent of the centre of the Sun itself. Some of the butterflies have their wings fully expanded well others have paused for a moment, from their long journey, on the soft sage green leaves for the flowers.