Butterfly illustrations - set specimens

[Jack Harrison]

A particular gripe of mine is the way butterflies are so often portrayed as set specimens. Just such an example can be seen on the Royal Mail's new stamps:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/e ... 753755.ece

This is hardly in keeping with the conservation/green ethos. It might have been perfectly acceptable 100 years ago but I think very dubious today.

I am sure many of the contributors to uk.butterflies would be only too delighted to see their splendid photographs used - there could even be some money in it for Butterfly Conservation.

Jack

[Piers]

I think the stamps are rather lovely.

They're stamps, and as such I think that the design works well.

Since they were designed in conjunction with the BMNH it seems fitting that the design reflects in some way this country's proud history of entomological study.

I agree that photographic stamps would be nice but perhaps 'as well as' rather than 'instead of'. Isn't there a danger about becoming somewhat precious about set specimens?

Many of you will own books illustrated by the likes of Richard Lewington - these illustrations were made (in a lot of instances) from the study of set specimens, and look exactly like set specimens. What's the difference? The stamps are miniature works of art in their own right.

I'm sure that many will be up in arms at this comment, but please try to keep it in context.

(and no, I am not advocating butterfly collecting - just atractive, well designed stamps!)

Felix.

[m_galathea]

I completely agree with Felix, without extensive specimen collecting our knowledge of the natural world would be no where near as rich as it is.
Jack, you say that the stamps are hardly in keeping with the conservation/green ethos, but I would disagree. Without the necessary knowledge of our flora and fauna, any conservation project will fail. Recently I have been increasingly involved in research involving butterflies, and am stunned by their survival mechanisms.
Alexander

[Padfield]

I have to say I tend to side with Jack here. An adonis blue (from set specimen) on a white background suggests an isolation of the insect from its habitat. An Adonis blue figured on horseshoe vetch would be a much more powerful image - because it is primarily the habitat which is under threat, and the butterfly in consequence.

Leaping laterally slightly, has anyone noticed that no living organism appears anywhere on any euro banknote?

Guy

[Jack Harrison]

Just come across this statement by Butterfly Conservation.

As I was saying........

http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/a ... tamps.html

Jack

[Martin]

It's good to see someone at BC has the balls to call Royal Mail to task.

M.