Butterflies and Dragonflies

Artisan Made Wildlife Designs

Here at Earth Balance Craft, we love making the glorious curves from the insect world, namely the winged beauties of flutterbyes and river darters.  Our wire metal butterflies and dragonflies come in all shapes and colours, with a nod to a number of British species.  Designer Nicola is captivated by their wings and you can see these flying insects in a range of her pieces from sun catchers to hanging ornaments.

Belonging to the species 'Odonata' the harmless dragonfly and damselfly have serrated jaws. There are around 5000 species across the world.  It is known that dragonflies pre-date the dinosaur age and survived extinction. With nicknames such as 'Devil’s darning needle', 'Adder’s Servant', and 'snake doctor' they are mythical creatures that feature in many ancient customs across the globe. Dragonflies in particular have iridescent wings that reflect and refract daylight, which helps give us glimpses of vivid metallic colours as we walk by rivers and lakes. Their wing flaps at 30 beats per second and their land speed can range from a little meander at 10mph to a sudden dart at 30mph, they are quick!  We love dragonflies and damselflies as they eat all the river bugs; mosquitoes, gnats and flies, whilst unfortunately also eating bees, butterflies, moths and other dragonflies.