No, this is not a photo of an endangered butterfly
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on June 13, 2019 at 09:00
- 5 min read
- By Rachel YAN,
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The photo was published here on Facebook on April 13, 2019.
It was shared by a Facebook page with more than 1.5 million followers.
Below is a screenshot of the misleading Facebook post:
The caption states: “Gorgeous. Endangered Starry Butterfly.”
The same photo was shared with a similar claim here on Facebook.
It was also shared here and here with a similar claim on Twitter.
The claim is false; the photo shows an artwork by digital artist Sara Shakeel.
A watermark next to the wing on the left side of the image states: “SaraShakeel”.
Below is a screenshot of the watermark:
A keyword search on Google found this verified Instagram page of a digital artist named Sara Shakeel.
Below is a screenshot of Shakeel’s Instagram page:
The same butterfly photo can be seen in this March 3, 2019 post on Shakeel’s Instagram page.
The caption states in part: “I am sorry for 3 artworks within 3 hours lol ! I had a lot of feelings in me tonight! The second I got done with one artwork , I wanted to create another!! Well ThankGod for art!” CollageArt SaraShakeel. Butterfly photographer Stephen Powell.”
The same image was posted on Shakeel’s Facebook page here on the same day with a similar caption.
Shakeel’s artwork has been made using a photo of a real butterfly taken by photographer Stephen Powell. He posted the original photo on his blog here on July 4, 2012.
Below is a screenshot of the photo:
The caption states that the image shows a Black-veined white butterfly.
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