Butterflies
(Northern Brown Argus)
About
A small butterfly (wing span of 29mm) with a silvery appearance and a highly variable pattern of wing spots.
Usually lives in well drained, unimproved grasslands where Common Rock-rose grows in a lightly grazed or ungrazed sward. Most sites are sheltered, frequently with scrub, and have thin, base-rich soils often with patches of bare ground
Conservation status
The butterfly occurs mainly as small, scattered colonies and has declined in northern England.
GB Red List (2022): Vulnerable
Butterfly Conservation: High
Poem
Beautiful Flight
on wing for this
your fleeting final life
how far you've come
from pinhead egg
you gorged and shucked yourself
into a sideways glimpse
a flitting petal
leaf or skiff of bark
you nectar-fuelled delight
who folds into
a silent prayer
at night
Length: 28 seconds
Story: Charlotte Oliver
Read by: Charlotte Oliver
Sculptures
These started out focussing on the Northern Brown Argus butterfly, but then expanded out into looking at all British red list butterflies. The final sculpture is not yet complete, the images below show some of the piece created in the build up to the final piece.
100x90x20cm Bronze and steel
100x90x20cm Bronze and steel
35x75x9cm Bronze and painted steel
100x90x20cm Bronze and steel