This is one of a series of photographs from a Zuni sandstone formation in western New Mexico, dating to the Cretaceous (approx. 63-138 Ma).


The ancient Greeks used the same word - psyche - for both the butterfly and the soul. It was believed that, after death, the soul took the shape of the butterfly in its search for a new incarnation.

It represents transformation and rebirth, and the delicate & transient nature of things. It is a potent totem.

Sandstone and lichen.