Butterfly weed mandala card with monarch butterfly digitally printed using archival pigment inks on silky, bright white, acid-free paper. Folded card is 5.25" by 5.25" and comes with a beautifully made, bright white envelope. The paper is super smooth, not slick, and takes gel, ballpoint, and other inks well. The photograph I used to create the mandala is printed on the back of the card with the photo location and a little story. Interior of the card is either blank or includes birthday greeting, your choice. Perfect as a note card or birthday card for a gardener, child, biology teacher, or anyone who loves monarch butterflies, plants milkweed, grows native plants, or is concerned about sustainability.

Shipping. The card and envelope are packaged together in a plastic sleeve and mailed in a stiffened mailer. Orders of one or two cards are shipped USPS First Class without tracking. Larger orders are shipped via the most economical means, which usually, but not always, includes tracking.

Framing. This butterfly weed card is created using high-quality materials, such as might be used in a museum. The print is sharp, bright, and frameable. To protect the vibrancy of the artwork, I frame using UV glass or acrylic, and I recommend it. If you use plain glass or acrylic, make sure you hang this sweet, little piece and all your beautiful art away from direct sunlight.

About the Art. The digital collage on this card, titled Orange on Orange, was created from this photo of orange butterfly weed growing in my gardens on Pleasant Hill, near Brookhaven, West Virginia. Butterfly weed is a host plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars, which feed on the leaves. The flowers provide nectar for the adult butterflies.

Butterfly weed is adapted to open fields that are a little on the dry side. Its long taproot allows it to flourish where more shallow-rooted native plants can't survive. That taproot also makes butterfly weed hard to move, so if you grow it in your pollinator garden, try starting it from seed sown where you'd like it to establish. Before planting, pack the seeds in a zipper bag with some damp sand and chill in the fridge for sixty days. And, keep in mind, a tattered butterfly weed has been supporting monarch caterpillars and is never ugly.