Published by Nazraeli Press
Painted Lady Chrysalis Hanging from an Acacia, Kenya, 2021
Painted Lady Butterfly on a Milk Thistle, Kenya, 2021
Erei and Thomas Collecting Painted Lady Butterflies, Mpala Research Centre, Kenya, 2021
As Thomas searches for Painted Lady butterflies, Erei protects him from wild animals and armed poachers, who may become hostile when interrupted.
Douglas Pinning a Painted Lady Butterfly, African Butterfly Research Institute, Kenya, 2021
Naitoti with a Painted Lady Butterfly on Her Milk Gourd, Kenya, 2021
Ismaël Going to School, Côte d'Ivoire, 2022
Painted Lady Butterfly on a Tridax Daisy, Côte d'Ivoire, 2022
Nana and Adama, Mali, 2016
Mickaël Holding a Painted Lady Butterfly, Côte d'Ivoire, 2022
Painted Lady Butterfly in a Camel Skull, Jordan, 2022
As droughts and other extreme weather events reshape landscapes, Painted Lady butterflies adjust their course in search of blooming flowers.
Defensive Trench for Kibbutz Yotvata, Israel, 2022
Border Wall, Israel, 2022
Dubi Holding a Pinned Painted Lady Butterfly, Palestine, 2022
Gallery Minus 430 at Former Jordanian Military Camp, Palestine, 2022
David at the Western Wall, Israel, 2022
Spiny Zilla, Jordan, 2022
Souhila and Eliana at the Dead Sea, Palestine, 2022
Mohamed, Amit, and Aymen on Cap Blanc, Tunisia, 2023
I stood on a cliff in northern Tunisia, overlooking the Mediterranean. A wildfire had blackened the forest. Purple flowers bloomed between charred trunks. I photographed Painted Lady butterflies there, drinking nectar before migrating north. Three teenagers asked for a portrait with the sea behind them. Months later, one called to say his boat landed near my family's village in Italy. He asked if the butterflies arrived safely.
Painted Lady Butterfly Traveling North, Tunisia, 2023
Aman Entering the Red Sea, Jordan, 2022
Merchant Ship Passing Zembra, Tunisia, 2023
Zembra lies along a butterfly migration path connecting Tunisia to Italy. People seeking refuge in Europe often travel this Central Mediterranean passage.
Life Preservers, Italy, 2023
The Central Mediterranean passage is currently the deadliest migration route for humans.
Migrants Who Drowned While Crossing the Mediterranean Sea, Italy, 2023
The Italian government buries the bodies of migrants who drown at sea in unmarked graves across multiple graveyards.
Frank Waiting at the Lampedusa Hotspot after Leaving Cameroon, Italy, 2023
At the Lampedusa Hotspot, where government officials register migrants entering Europe, Frank asked me to send a portrait to his family so they would know he arrived safely.
Painted Lady Butterfly, England, 2021
Ousmane Picking Cherries after Leaving Senegal, Spain, 2022
Ousmane, part of the Sant Joan de Déu refugee resettlement program, receives support for education, housing, healthcare, and employment.
Sara Eating Breakfast, Italy, 2021
Painted Lady Butterfly on a Pincushion, Spain, 2021
Gerard Collecting Painted Lady Butterflies, Institut Botànic de Barcelona, Spain, 2021
Gerard is a founding member of the Worldwide Painted Lady Migration Project.
Gerard Holding a Painted Lady Butterfly, Spain, 2021
Kalvin and Kaile after Leaving Ukraine, France, 2023
Lavender Field and Wheat Harvest, France, 2023
Basira, Amir, Mohamed, Amara, and Imene after leaving Algeria, France, 2023
Painted Lady Butterfly on Lavender, France, 2023
Tirah Raking Hay, Romania, 2021
Organic farms and traditional hayfields, free from synthetic pesticides, provide habitats vital to the Painted Lady butterfly’s survival.
Cows at Casa Boschi, Italy, 2021
Wengen, Switzerland, 2022
Raluca Collecting Butterflies for the Worldwide Painted Lady Migration Project, Switzerland, 2023
As drought scorches Europe, Painted Lady butterflies find blooming flowers in the moist air near melting glaciers.
Meltwater from the Aletsch Glacier, Switzerland, 2023
Glacial Meltwater and the Grimsel Pass Dam, Switzerland, 2022
Switzerland is building new dams to capture water from melting glaciers for drinking, irrigation, and hydroelectric power.
Painted Lady Butterfly by the Eiger Glacier, Switzerland, 2022
Painted Lady Butterfly, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Germany, 2022
Sunday Morning at the Berlin Wall, Germany, 2022
I followed butterflies to the green spaces where they paused—some of which were marked by human borders. At the Berlin Wall on a Sunday morning, I watched decorated young people, just out of all-night clubs, sitting in perfect order.
Painted Lady Butterflies, Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Germany, 2022
Diego and Musu, Germany, 2022
Immigration and Naturalization Service at Ter Apel, the Netherlands, 2022
Dutch Farmers' Protest against Immigration and Climate Change Mitigation, the Netherlands, 2022
Laurent during a Flood, France, 2023
Ida Tending Her Geraniums, the Netherlands, 2022
Elderly Painted Lady Butterfly, Italy, 2021
Wings from Two Painted Lady Butterflies, One Young and One Old, Institut Botànic de Barcelona, Spain, 2021
Painted Lady butterflies can live for five weeks, enduring long flights until their wings become too worn to continue.
Parsa and Arda at Polarhagen Farm, Norway, 2023
As Norway's climate warms, Painted Lady butterflies migrate farther north, making the longest butterfly migration even longer.
Jullanar Holding a Monkfish after Leaving Syria, Norway, 2023
While Jullanar’s mother tours the Lofoten Seafood Center, where she can work after resettling as a refugee, Jullanar inspects a dried monkfish in the playspace.
Painted Lady Butterfly on Buddleia, England, 2021
Anonymous at Extinction Rebellion Protest for Immigration and Climate Change Mitigation, England, 2021
Aurora Looking for Painted Lady Caterpillars, Spain, 2021
Painted Lady Caterpillar on Thistle, Spain, 2021
Bosco Verticale, Italy, 2021
Painted Lady Butterfly on Clover, Italy, 2021
Arturo, Enea, and Pietro under Scotch Broom, Italy, 2021
Following my friend’s children on a nature camp hike, the Italian countryside felt calm—until they found campfire ashes and painted themselves like butterflies.
Arturo with Ashes at a Nature Immersion Camp, Italy, 2021
Painted Lady Butterfly Hilltopping, Italy, 2021
As sunset approaches, Painted Lady butterflies often gather at the highest rocky points of the landscape, where they are likely to mate.
Timbo in His Horse-Drawn Car, Romania, 2021
I visited the region near the Romania-Ukraine border, where some of my family is from. Only fields and a graveyard remain of our village. I didn’t know what to photograph until Timbo drove by.
San Vito Lo Capo, Italy, 2023
Merchant Ship, Mediterranean Sea, 2022
Boat Returning to Shore, Côte d'Ivoire, 2022
New Pool, Côte d'Ivoire, 2022
Immigrants to Europe often send money home to support their families. This pool is part of a newly built house, funded by a son working in Paris.
Eya with a Kitten, Tunisia, 2023
Ghina, Raghad, Yusra, Nahla, and Rahaf Walking through Roman Ruins after Leaving Palestine, Jordan, 2022
Painted Lady butterflies have been migrating through these blooming fields for millions of years.
Bacem Smoking at a Port of Sfax Carnival, Tunisia, 2023
Painted Lady Butterfly Crossing Erg Chigaga, Morocco, 2022
Each year, Painted Lady butterflies cross the Sahara and Arabian deserts, timing their migration to the brief bloom of wildflowers that follows seasonal rains.
Irene Holding a Painted Lady Butterfly, Jordan, 2022
Mohamed's House, Morocco, 2022
Painted Lady Butterfly on Ghurayra, Jordan, 2022
Mohammad Leading a Painted Lady Butterfly Tour, Jordan, 2022
Mohammad helped me to find Painted Lady butterflies in Wadi Rum, Jordan. After that, he began offering butterfly tours through his father Obeid's Bedouin Life Camp.
Tracks from Insects (Plus Two Lizards and One Mouse), Morocco, 2022
Painted Lady Butterfly Wing with a Caterpillar, Morocco, 2022
C.B. Williams’ Migration of Butterflies, Institut Botànic de Barcelona, Spain, 2021
In 1930, entomologist C.B. Williams hypothesized that Painted Lady butterflies, commonly seen during European summers, migrate south to the Middle East and Africa. In 2024, scientists mapped this journey from Kenya to Norway, revealing the longest butterfly migration.