SUPERFLY: Endangered UK Flora & Fauna
This is a series of portraits of things that crawl, those that fly, some that sprout and others who sting. All of whom are noted as endangered in the UK.
Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca Britain’s rarest and really rather shy reptile can be found slithering in the heathlands of Dorset, Hampshire and Surrey. Its best friend is the equally hard to come by Sand Lizard. It dresses in grey or brown, decorated with black spot and a heart shaped crown on its head. These cold-blooded creatures make their appearance in May, sunbathing amongst the heather, right through until October. It is protected by British and EU law, Gawd help it after Brexit.
Grey Long-Eared Bat Plecotus austriacus These fun-loving family types, who only produce one pup per year, love the night life and like to boogie, chasing moths and dreams over England’s south coast wildflower meadows. The kind of grassland that they need has been lost in the fragmented modern landscape, making it difficult for them to find safe routes home and food needed to feed their young. There may be as few as 1,000 of these bats left in the country, with their number still falling. Let’s sow the seeds of love and grow more wildflower meadows.
Pill Woodlouse – Armadillidium vulgare Although this woodlouse is fairly common, this clever little creature is subject to non-stop trolling and attacks from humans who fail to appreciate the magic of the best recycler in Britain, feeding on all sorts of decaying organic matter. When attacked, this cute crustacean, curls itself up into a ball, hiding its seven pairs of walking legs to show only its slate grey plates of armour to the world. Without the woodlouse we would be knee deep in seven sorts of rotting vegetation, so be kind to them, not scared of them and most of all, don’t kill them.
Great Crested Newt Trius Cristatus. Normal for Norfolk he lives on the wetlands and is very extravagant, showing off his orange waistcoat as he stands on his front legs, back arched, tail high, ready to woo the ladies. The GCW is in decline as their habitat is destroyed and ponds drained, as developers move in, ponds neglected, not stocked with fish leaving fewer places for them to breed.
Stag Beetle Lucanus cervus, a Sarf East English violet-brown beauty who is happy to flash his Big Red Antlers whilst chomping on dead oak like it’s a packet of Salt n Vinegar. This lad is the Danny Dyer of the insect world, all mouth and no trousers. Basically, he and his family have suffered from gentrification and tidy gardens. Rewild your lawn and offer the beetle a home.
Northern Dune Tiger Beetle. Cicindela hybrida Linnaeus, 1758. The beetle lives up on the Sefton Coastline in Liverpool, they like to hang around in the warm sand of the dunes and set up home with their little larvae, trying not to be endangered. These are gorgeous bejewelled little scousers, let’s protect them.
Ladybird Spider Eresus sandaliatus This is one of our most spectacular spiders, but also one of our most endangered, and it is at risk of extinction in the UK. This colourful creature lives on lowland heathland, building vertical, silk-lined burrows, crowned with a silk canopy which they use to ambush the insects they feed on.
Shrill Carder Bumblebee Bombus sylvarum and is pretty rare. It lives in South Wales and Southern England and even there, there are only a few buzzing around in their stylish greyish green and straw colours, mixed with dull orange tail accessory and clear black belt tied tight around its thorax. It can be found propping up the bar in the complex flowers of the families Lamiacaea and Fabacaea
SUPERFLY prints are A4 hand finished with Diamond Dust and Holographic Glitter detail on 250gsm Cartridge edition of 50
The Hands of Dead Celebrities: Class of 2016
The Hands of Dead Celebrities Series made for the Art Car Boot Fair 2016. All are A4 Digital Reproductions on 250gsm Cartridge edition of 50
The Hands of Dead Celebrities, 2016 , painted series A4 Digital Print Reproductions on edition of 50
The Invisible Woman meets…
The Invisible Woman meets… These prints are the edited highlights from a series of over 250 digital collages originally shown in 2015 at Hantverk & Found Gallery. Each image is 6 x 4ins (152 x 105mm) on matt photographic paper with a white border. They are from a signed and numbered from an edition of 10. Please email for multiple edition inquiries or to choose other images from the series.
