butterfly

[low_delta]

When I was trimming the bushes by the side of the garage, I found a butterfly. I think it was a newborn that was drying its wings. It seemed to be having trouble getting around in the grass, so I put some leafy branches in front of it to stand on. It sat there a while, until its wings were stronger, then it went back into the grass.

Those black swallowtails are hard to tell apart. It could be a female tiger swallowtail in black form. (I've seen a lot of yellow ones around lately.) Or it could be a spicebush swallowtail, which is seen in Wisconsin, but hasn't been officially observed in this county. It looks like a black swallowtail, but those aren't found in Wisconsin at all. I would have taken a picture, but I don't have a good camera for closeups. I wish I'd tried anyway, just to have a record of what it looked like, even if it was a little fuzzy.

The body was black. I don't recall spots or stripes. There was a row of yellow spots along the back edge of the hind wings. There was an indistinct area of blue above that. The other side of the wings was similar, except the spots were orange.

Comments

[emschin.livejournal.com]

I like reading about the things you find in your yard. You tell us things I didn't know, and describe little scenes like the brand new butterfly. My family has always loved nature, in different ways, and I like thinking "That's my son-in-law!"

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

There's a lot in this world to be discovered, enjoyed and in awe at.