The Butterfly Album

[click through for larger versions; all images are screencaps taken from the flash zoom display; detail images are slightly doctored]

The Royal Digital Library of Belgium has a small album of delicate and charming gouache insect sketches produced in China in the 19th century.

The only other information known is that the butterflies and insects were collected from the Aralia (spikenard) and related Tetrapanax papyrifera (pith paper tree) plant species.

The Harvard University Herbaria has a sub-site devoted to the versatile pith paper tree, including a selection of beautiful watercolour sketches from a 2-volume series on the plant, also from the 19th century.

Previously: fauna | flora.