Tiger swallowtail

Eastern tiger swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) waft lazily amongst the flower garden every summer. The clumsy awkwardness of their colorful drifting through the air is oddly reminiscent to me of the same awkward drifting of jellyfish on the waves. Both colorful creatures that drift and bob on the current, sea and air.

They are common and have two color forms here. One form bright yellow and tiger striped like this one, the other black with traces of sparkling dust on the wings. They both occur here, and it is thought the black color morphs are more common as you go South because they overlap with Pipevine swallowtails, which are poisonous. Hence, by mimicing the black pipevine they dupe many would be predators.

By mid-summer if you look close at many of them their wings are all tattered and frayed. In their rush for nectar, jostling and sparring for blooms I wonder if it is just wear and tear or near misses with birds?

To be sure I'll be blipping some more butterflies in the garden at home here these next couple weeks.