Embroidered Butterfly #18 & 19 {Ringlet & Mountain Ringlet}

On February 7, 2026February 16, 2026 By ArtyMissKIn Art, Needlework Bugs6 Comments

Hello my friends!

A couple of weeks ago I posted some photos of Ringlet butterflies that I took during last years gloriously sunshine filled summer and compared them looks-wise to their much rarer mountain dwelling cousins (who I’ve yet to see).

It was so lovely seeing such a large amount of these butterflies just living their best life out in the wild!

So I decided to make both a Ringlet and a Mountain Ringlet to add to my increasing collection of embroidered butterflies…

Ringlet (the bigger one) – #18 on my embroidered butterfly challenge – are a member of the ‘brown’ family of butterflies and are an unassuming light brown to almost black butterfly with little decorative black eye-spots, with a wingspan 48mm (male) 52mm (female) so in keeping with my twice life size scale my needlework Ringlet has a wingspan of about 10.5cm.

The much rarer Mountain Ringlet (the smaller one) – #19 on my embroidered butterfly challenge – is much smaller than their cousins, with a wingspan of 35mm (male) and 38mm (female) and are much darker brown with orange rimmed eyespots. Even when doubled my Mountain Ringlet still only has a tiny 7cm wingspan!

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Embroidered Butterfly #17 {Clouded Yellow}

On September 20, 2025October 18, 2025 By ArtyMissKIn Art, Needlework Bugs7 Comments

Hey friends!

I’ve been absent for a couple of weeks, theres a lot going on and I’ve had that horrid cold-thing that’s doing the rounds at the moment (not fun!!).

Still, I’ve got a new needlework butterfly to share with you! I’ve genuinely had the best butterfly year ever and encountered so many critters, I’ve even met my very first Clouded Yellow! I always thought I’d have to physically go and search for these butterflies and never in my wildest dreams did I think one would show up in my own back garden and I wanted to create one to add to my ever growing collection of handmade butterflies.

This is #17 on my Embroidered Butterfly challenge – only 59-ish more to go!!! I worked it out if I make one a month it should only take like another four or so years!

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) who is one of our regular migrant species is considered to be a large butterfly with a wingspan up to 62mm, they tend to rest with their wings closed which is a shame because they are so pretty.

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Embroidered Butterfly #16 {Marbled White}

On August 23, 2025October 18, 2025 By ArtyMissKIn Art, Needlework Bugs4 Comments

Hello my friends!

I really hope you’re enjoying the bank holiday weekend if you’re in the UK or just enjoying a nice normal weekend generally!

The week before last I posted all about exploring Penlee Battery nature reserve where I met many, many beautiful butterflies and even a few day flying moths. I really enjoyed being able to spot so many Marbled White butterflies and thought I would create an embroidered version for my collection.

These amazing black and white checkerboard butterflies have a real life wingspan of around 5.5cm and are considered to be a medium size chap! I only created a female as there aren’t too many differences between the two sexes.

My needlework Marbled white has a wingspan of more or less 11cm and she’s #16 of my needlework butterfly quest.

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Embroidered Butterfly #15 {Silver Studded Blue}

On July 12, 2025October 18, 2025 By ArtyMissKIn Art, Needlework Bugs2 Comments

Hello my friends!

How’s the heat where you are?

A couple of weeks ago I posted a One frame of a Silver studded Blue butterfly I recently met a Cubert Common while adventuring in the sunshine.

It was so cool to see an increasingly rare species just living its best life out in the wild – although that being said according to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, thousands of them have been spotted here this summer which is awesome!

These tiny blue butterflies have a real life wingspan of only 3cm how anything that small survives in the wild is beyond me! I created a male and female as this type of butterfly has whats called Sexual dimorphism which basically means you can tell the boys from the girls.

My needlework Silver studded blues have a wingspan of about 6cm and they’re #15 of my needlework butterfly quest, the male is the lovely blue one (all the ones I’ve seen have been male) and the little brown one is the much more reserved female.

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Embroidered Butterfly #14 {Dingy Skipper}

On June 22, 2025July 12, 2025 By ArtyMissKIn Art, Needlework Bugs7 Comments

Greetings friends!

Once again I missed my Friday/Saturday posting day, and have landed on a Sunday (again!) so I think I should just change my posting day to sometime-between-Friday-and-Sunday! I might just be able to stick with that over the summer…the sunshine is just too distracting and I tend to put off sitting and physically typing up until last minute and then find I dislike the photos I’ve taken for said post (which is what happened this week the original ones were really dark).

Still, I’ve got a new needlework butterfly to share with you! I became quite attached to the teeny tiny Dingy Skipper I met during my recent exploration of Penhale Dunes and I wanted to create one to add to my ever growing collection of handmade butterflies.

This is #14 on my Embroidered Butterfly challenge – only 62 more to go!!! If I can make at least one a month that means it should only take like another four or so years!

Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages) is found in Britain and Ireland but becoming kinda rare. Its grey-brown wings are covered with mottled brown markings and two lines of white spots.

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Embroidered Butterfly #13 {Brimstone}

On March 14, 2025March 29, 2025 By ArtyMissKIn Art, Needlework Bugs5 Comments

Hey friends!

This week I’ve got a new needlework butterfly to share with you, I became quite attached to the little male brimstone that over-wintered in my butterfly house (my fun and fancy shed!) that wanted to create one to add to my ever growing collection of handmade butterflies.

This is #13 on my Embroidered Butterfly challenge – only 63 more to go!!! If I can make at least one a month that means it should only take like another four or so years!

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Embroidered Butterfly #12 {Monarch}

On February 1, 2025February 8, 2025 By ArtyMissKIn Art, Needlework Bugs7 Comments

Hello my friends!

This week I’ve got a new needlework butterfly to share with you and I’ve been really looking forward to making this one! The Monarch is a beautiful orange and black butterfly that spends its time between Canada, America and Mexico.

As a side note I’ve decided to up the official tally of 61 to include an extra 15 or so butterflies considered to be extinct species of and rare migrants to the UK. As I want to include some of the other rare migrants we occasionally get like the Monarch as well as some of the ones considered extinct in the UK like the Bath white and Large copper – these butterflies still exist in Europe just not here. So my new total is 76! These 15 extra butterflies are all found in The Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland by Richard Lewington, with really lovely illustrations.

This is #12 on my Embroidered Butterfly challenge – only 64 more to go!!!

The Monarch is the largest and possibly the rarest butterfly seen in the UK – in 2023 just three were seen in here. Unfortunately the caterpillars feed on Milkweed plants which aren’t native to the UK, explaining why the butterfly hasn’t bred here, so sadly I’ve never actually seen one of these in the wild.

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Embroidered Butterfly #11 {Grayling}

On January 17, 2025February 8, 2025 By ArtyMissKIn Art, Needlework Bugs6 Comments

Hello my friends!

Back in the autumn I posted a One frame of a rare Grayling and I wanted to create a needlework version for my butterfly challenge. My actual plan was to post this a couple of weeks before Christmas but everything got a little bit on top of me and I never got round to it.

It was awesome to see a basically endangered species just living its best life out in the wild!

These butterflies have a real life wingspan of up to 6cm and as it aways rests with its wings together which is a shame as they’ve got such pretty markings! I created a male as there’s very little difference between the two sexes.

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Embroidered Butterfly #10 {Comma}

On November 9, 2024 By ArtyMissKIn Art, Needlework Bugs8 Comments

Hey friends!

Last week I posted a bonus Butterfly tale about a Comma butterfly that I accidentally rescued on a nettle plant – a rather ragged brown and orange chap who usually lives in the woods, I felt so super excited to have fostered one of these so late in the year that I couldn’t help but want to create a needlework version.

Comma have a real life wingspan of up to 6cm. There isn’t too much difference between and males and females (which I’m glad about as the pattern was super fiddly!) All in all my needlework version has a wingspan of about 11cm to keep it inline with my ‘twice life size’ scale.

Its been great to create a different wing shape, the ragged edges were so much fun to try and recreate although the wire was so uncooperative! I know I say this with every one I make but this one is definitely my favourite so far.

Also this rather lovely fella is #10 on my needlework butterfly challenge (whoo-hoo I’m in double figures!!).

That’s a wrap for this week…another butterfly finished only another 50 or so to go!! I’m really hoping that you’ll stay with me while I needlework my way through our native butterflies. Thank you so much for checking out this post!

Embroidered Butterfly #9 {Red Admiral}

On October 12, 2024October 25, 2024 By ArtyMissKIn Art, Needlework Bugs2 Comments

Hey friends!

A few weeks back I posted a Butterfly tale about raising a bunch of Red Admiral butterflies and I’ve enjoyed their company all summer (in total I will have raised 60 of them this year) so I had to make a needlework version which is #9 on my embroidered butterfly challenge!

A Red ad has a real life wingspan of about 7.2cm, so its definitely one of our biggest butterflies. My needlework version has a wingspan of about 14.5cm to keep him inline with my ‘twice life size’ scale, so it just beats the Peacock I made recently for size. (Weirdly when I think of Red ads they’re always boys, I have absolutely no idea why.)

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