Monday, August 12, 2013

Swallowtail

     Swallowtail butterflies, mostly the eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), have been our constant companions this summer.

A male eastern tiger swallowtail feeding on common milkweed at Oregon Ridge Park in June.
A female eastern tiger swallowtail feeding on swamp milkweed in a school garden in July.


A variety of swallowtail species, and other insects, feeding on bergamot, milkweed, and queen anne's lace in Shenandoah National Park last week.
     While visiting Syracuse, NY this weekend, I saw a giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) for the first time.  I did not get a picture, but this University of Florida web site includes some wonderful life cycle photos. (Giant swallowtails are considered pests in Florida. The larvae feed on orange trees.)

1 comment:

  1. Awesome video!

    Looks like the giant swallowtail we saw was a male--based on the photos on this site. (Seems the males have more yellowish spots compared w/ the females' white spots. Ours looked more chocolate brown w/ peachy spots, to me.)

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