I’ve been asked a few times the last few years why I haven’t painted any monarch butterflies yet. I want to. But the real reason is there are some other black and orange species that deserve some love, awareness and protection, too!

This little dude is called a Bay checkerspot butterfly. It’s a tiny little butterfly with an intricate checkerboard pattern on mostly black wings. but perhaps its most important fact, right now, is this butterfly is a federally threatened species, meaning it’s in danger of becoming extinct.

Endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area, the bay checkerspot butterfly has a relatively small and specific habitat of only 12,000 acres. This bug relies on native plants that grow in a specific type of soil, including the tidy tip flowers I drew my butterfly with. 

Checkerspots’ habitats are declining due to land development and the use of pesticides. Butterflies are pollinators, and an important part of our ecosystem. If we lose them, it threatens our health as humans! Protecting bay checkerspot butterflies is truly just protecting ourselves.

We can keep them  — and other threatened or endangered species like them — safe by voting, avoiding using harsh pesticides, and planting native plants!

Art prints and stickers of this piece are available in my shop! Snag some here or shop wholesale here. 

XOXO,

Hannah