'The Comet Moth' - B&W with silver handwritten calligraphy - original handmade linocut print

*LIMITED EDITION*

I used to do taxidermy with insects, especially butterflies and moths and fell in love with their evolutionary adaptations. Their variety of appearance is truly remarkable! It was then, I found out about Saturniidae moth species. Their names are intriguing, so I decided to read about them a bit more and connected the dots.
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This moth name comes from striking yellow colour and a long tail which looks like a comet 😍🌠🌌⭐. It's believed that the long tail is moth's defence tool as some studies have shown that they are good at interfering with predators' (in this case bats) echolocation and they act as bait. That helps to move bat's focus onto them rather than the main body of the moth. Quite clever if you ask me 🌟
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On the right bottom of my sketch, you can see its scientific name. The genus name Argema means 'speckled eye' in Greek. Once again, those eyespots help with tricking the predators that the moth is larger and more dangerous than it actually looks. It's so amazing to see nature 'using' this evolutionary technique in every Saturniidae species.
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🌍 More than 80% of this species is endemic, which means that if we keep destroying nature and its habitat in the rainforest of Madagascar, we will sadly lose it forever...

Black oil-based ink on handmade paper, with metallic, shiny gold hand-written calligraphy of the title on the back.

Linocut Printmaking :
• I start the process by sketching a design, which is then transferred onto a linoleum block.
• Carefully carved lino is inked with oil-based black ink.
• Relief Ink is non-toxic and solvent-free.
• Prints are printed using an etching press & hand-applied pressure.
• Each print is signed on the front and on the back (handwritten title in metallic calligraphy on the back).
• Each print may vary ever-so-slightly as they are printed by hand.

Paper :
• 120g Zerkall white paper with 4 deckled edges.
• This paper is acid-free, made from cotton rag, with no optical brighteners and buffered with Calcium Carbonate to provide resistance to aging.
• Made by the fourth generation of the Renker family in 16th-century Mill in the hilly countryside of Düren, near a small river Kall, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Packaging :
• Carefully packed in wrapping paper, including a handwritten by me calligraphy card.
• Packaging sealed with my wax stamp and dried flower of my choosing - perfect as a gift.
• Prints are shipped in a flat, hardboard envelope. All packaging is recyclable.

Paper size :
• approximately 27 x 27 cm


Instagram: @daria_natureobsessed