There’s a New Butterfly in Town

In my last post I talked about the back porch and how I eat breakfast and dinner out there. Well, while eating dinner tonight, I spotted this large beauty on the magenta-colored butterfly bush and had to grab my camera before the opportunity flew away.

I really need to get a field guide on butterflies and moths. I think...yes, I think, this is a type of Spicebush Swallowtail. I have seen Spicebush Swallowtails in the garden before, but this is the first time I have seen one this year. Mostly I have seen the Cabbage moths and Tiger Swallowtails.

The funny thing is, I was just talking to my friend Doug at work about Spicebush Swallowtails. We were looking at pictures of them as caterpillars online. They look like cartoon characters. I think it would be neat to see one in person, however, I must admit I prefer the butterfly version.

Doug takes amazing macro photos of insects and posts them to his instagram. He posts a new photo every day. He is in Florida this week and has three particular butterflies he is hoping to see and capture digitally. I really hope he succeeds!