Hello! I'm Michelle, the owner and operator of Silent Natura Designs and I'm an illustrator, collector, self-taught sculptor and designer.

Growing up in South Los Angeles, I loved digging for worms, collecting dead insects and observing the natural world. It provided solace and kept me curious in a large, bustling city. Nature and science became my biggest source of inspiration.

One evening in 2005, I found a deceased bee in my backyard and decided to preserve, magnify and study. The preservation method was inspired by my mother's floral candles. It soon evolved from being personal relics to a business/artform. I wanted to create one of a kind pieces to honor, adorn, admire, and educate. To spark or inspire the same curiosity I felt as a child. I strive in providing high quality designs that will last years.

All specimens are ethically and legally sourced from entomologists (some specimens are over a decade old) that sell from their personal collections, sustainable insect farms that play a role in conservation and ecological awareness or found deceased. Biology specimens (meant as teaching aids), Natural History Shops, owl pellets, local fish markets, Breeders and Taxidermists that acquire from pest-control waste, by-product, found, roadkill or natural death. All the flora is real, dried and free of moisture. Many are taken from my own plants, local shops, and various dried-flower suppliers.

All the animals I use are ethically and sustainably sourced. They are all repurposed specimens. No flora or fauna in the CITES Appendices. I do not kill any of the animals I use in my work. Please, do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Reference:

http://checklist.cites.org

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/can-butterflies-save-the-worlds-forests