Tethered no. 1 —Milkweed & Monarch Butterfly Bouquet Poster — Gouache Vase Floral Folklectic Wall Art

Tethered represents the need for life—life that is deeply tethered to our immediate environment: our relationships, our meals, the places where we laugh and cry. When I was young, I thought freedom meant independent separation. I dreamed of world travel and a life on the wind. Every generation of my family, on both sides, moved across states and countries. My parents chose land where, unknown to them, our ancestors had also lived only a few generations before. I planned for the life of a remote missionary. Instead, circumstances anchored me strongly to the land where generations of my husband’s family had lived and died. There’s a bank filled with orange butterfly weed, a type of milkweed. I don’t know who planted it—an ancestor or a bird. I walk the acres of pasture and woods, and in ten years I still don’t fully know this place. My desire to travel has shifted to a desire to go deep, to thicken my tethers. Five years ago, I raised monarchs with my children. In late summer, I still see a monarch or two fly over our farm and settle on the milkweed. I want to be tethered to the land, to my loved ones, and to the One who first loved us.

A simple cream pitcher holds milkweed branches while monarchs hover and drift against a deep navy background. The paper’s subtle tooth and rich archival inks create soft color transitions and a museum-like feel that reads as both artful and quietly modern. Hung above a bedside table, leaning on a mantel, or clustered in a small gallery wall, this print adds a calm, nature-forward accent that feels uniquely collected.

Wallpaper also available.

Product features

- Printed on 285gsm textured watercolor paper

- Premium archival inks for smooth tones and rich, vibrant colors

- slight size tolerance +/- 1/16" due to production

Care instructions

- If the poster does gather any dust, you may wipe it off gently with a clean, dry cloth.