butterfly papered specimens

[Americo Bonkewitzz Zoology and Entomology]

SK Khew (khewsk at hotmail.com) wrote:
: I wish you wouldn't use butterfly wings for "art".  It usually results 
: in wanton killing for an unjustified cause.  There have been long drawn 
: debates on the collecting/killing versus conservation issue on this 
: leps-list.  Yours is definitely one case that would not receive much 
: support on this list.

Well, I would support him AS LONG AS he uses discarded material from butterfly
farms and butterfly houses.

: Using killed butterflies for "art" is something that would probably hurt 
: the population of any species, no matter how abundant they may be at the 
: moment.

You are taking for granted that the butterflies that he uses come all from 
the wild. Don't you know that there are butterfly farms ?

: Please reconsider your intention to use real butterflies in the name of 
: art.  

Well, tell me what do you think that huge butterfly exhibits and butterfly
farms do with discarded butterflies (those dead with broken wings, with
no scientific or commercial value) ?. Next time you visit to a butterfly
house ask that question to them. The perfect specimens are donated to
schools, museums, etc and those taty or broken are thrown away...and we are
not talking about few, but hundred of them.
I have been doing high resolution images of Southern African birds using
small pieces of discarded butterfly wings
(http://www.freeyellow.com/members4/butterflyart/. It takes very little 
from each wing (it's not a whole wing that you use but a small piece of it). 
I see this a a way of re-using a waste material that a butterfly house/farm
produces.
You can see the romantic and the commercial aspect of this: the first is that
you create another beauty from dead and damaged specimens and the second is
that a butterfly that in perfect condition may cost around 2 Dolards and
dead & damaged just nothing then as a picture can get up to US$50 Dolards or 
more according the work involved.

If you want to know what is possible to do with discarded butterflies then
visit my website: http://freeyellow.com/members4/butterflyart/


: Just my 2 cents' worth.

: >I am looking for a supplier of papered butterfly specimens that I can 
: order in
: >quantity for artwork. If you could help me with this, or know of a 
: supplier,
: >please e-mail me at ladd123 at aol.com   Thank you very much, cheri hiers
: >

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