Captivating Animated Butterfly Chart

This one goes out to all the budding lepidopterists and closet aurelians. Yes, we Googled 'butterfly enthusiasts'. You'll be grateful when it comes up in a pub quiz.

This mesmerising poster is the work of Eleanor Lutz, a Seattle-based designer with a BA in biology and a keen interest in educating the masses with superb animations.

In an effort to break from his usual science-heavy designs (see his incredible visual guide to muscles for some educational giffery), Lutz headed to his local library and checked out six butterfly field guides. Having selected 42 of the most "unique and beautiful" specimens of North America, he set about creating this stunning living board.

As well as begging dedicated study, the poster saves these specimens from meeting their end on the pin of an eager entomologist (you know the kind - big net, always going on about moths, funny glasses).

You can pick up a print of Lutz's work (which, obviously, isn't animated) from his online store. Be sure to check out the rest of his designs on his site Tabletop Whale.

Click to enlarge

(Images: Eleanor Lutz with Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License)