Historical illustrations of caterpillars: picture agency draws attention to endangered butterfly species

Berlin, September 17, 2025 - A newly curated collection of images from the Quagga Illustrations picture agency archive focuses on historical illustrations of caterpillars from butterfly identification books and encyclopedias from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The detailed illustrations are not only art-historical testimonies to natural history, but also refer to a highly topical ecological issue: the decline in butterfly populations due to the loss of their food plants caused by intensive agriculture and climate change. The collection is available on the agency's website:

https://www.quagga-illustrations.de/kollektionen/historische-raupen-illustrationen-schmetterlinge/

The finely lithographed panels show a spectrum of caterpillars - from the inconspicuous black caterpillar of the peacock moth to the bright green tones of some moth species and the caterpillar of the oak processionary moth, which is covered in allergenic hairs. Each historical illustration conveys how closely the survival of these insects is linked to specific plant species. It is precisely this dependence that makes butterflies indicators of the state of our landscapes.

According to current studies, numerous butterfly species are endangered in Central Europe because their caterpillar plants are becoming increasingly rare due to intensive agriculture, land sealing, and the decline of wildflower meadows. The historical collection sets a special accent here: it documents diversity that has already disappeared in many regions - and inspires us to take a fresh look at the value of near-natural habitats.

"Our image collections combine aesthetic pleasure with scientific precision," explains Isabel Meraner, press manager at the agency." The historical depictions of caterpillars in particular, with their references to the host plants, illustrate how vulnerable the cycle of plants and insects is. Our aim with this collection is not only to provide high-quality image material for publishers and agencies, museums and educational institutions, but also to raise awareness for the protection of butterflies."

The collection of historical caterpillar and butterfly illustrations comprises several hundred motifs that can be licensed in high-resolution quality for publications, exhibitions and digital projects. It is suitable for nature and culture magazines, scientific contexts as well as for creative projects that combine aesthetic and ecological aspects.

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About Quagga Illustrations
Quagga Illustrations (www.quagga-illustrations.de) has been a leading image source for high-quality historical illustrations since 2010. With an extensive stock of motifs from nature, culture and history, the agency supports creatives worldwide in the visual realization of their ideas.

Press contact

For image requests, viewing material and further information, please contact:

Isabel Meraner

Press Officer Quagga Illustrations

presse@quagga-illustrations.de

https://www.quagga-illustrations.de

QUAGGA Media UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Sommerfieldring 27
14109 Berlin
Germany

https://www.quagga-illustrations.de/

Frau Isabel Meraner
0039 331 4074014
030 / 788 9 777 4
presse@quagga-illustrations.de

Quagga Illustrations is part of the company Quagga Media UG (haftungsbeschränkt). Quagga Media was founded in Berlin in 2010. In the first few years, we focused on building an image database of historical drawings/illustrations. This database currently consists of around 150,000 drawings/illustrations and covers all areas of Central European natural and cultural history. A number of by-products have been created or are still under construction, in particular databases (anniversaries, botanical and zoological names, personalities, thesauri). Since 2010, we have also been involved in the creation of digital and analog products (ebooks, apps). We have also accumulated IT expertise in the creation, digitization and use of digital collections and pass this knowledge on.

This release was published on openPR.