This is an ink and watercolor study of the Diaethria Phlogea, or "89-98" butterfly's bold and unique patterns. It gets its nickname "89-98" from the pattern on the lower wings resembling the numbers 8 and 9. It's also sometimes called the "88" butterfly if the blots resemble two eights rather than the more typical eight-nine pair. For being a species whose wing span is only an inch or two, it is one that is easily missed or underappreciated in the wild where is harder to get a good look at them. 
 
This drawing is of a specimen in the renowned James May collection in Colorado, caught in Paraguay in 1930. If you aren’t familiar with the May Natural History Museum, it houses one of the largest private bug collections in the world. All were collected and preserved by a single individual who spent nearly all his life traveling and collecting bugs from, primarily, the topics. Some of the bugs are very rare, including a number that are now critically endangered or extinct. The museum has approx. 7000 specimens on permanent view, though according to the docent, less than 10% of the total collection is on display.
 
This giclée print is printed on archival Epson Premium Watercolor paper. The drawing was meticulously created using layers of tiny ink dots and watercolor layers. It represents more than 15 hours of careful work, and the print is virtually indistinguishable from the original!