Beautiful Living Splashes of Colour: Swallowtail Butterflies!


Swallowtail Butterflies are big, and very active! They move around quite a bit searching for flowers so it can be a challenge to get a good shot. One way to have them stick around for a little bit longer, is to go where there are a lot of flowers in a small space. Yes, I was back at my favourite patch of cosmos blossoms. I really need to plant some of my own next spring!

There are a few different species that flutter about in the summer and early autumn. This Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly is, I think, the most numerous of them. Others include, the larger Black Swallowtail, which can be briefly mistaken for a small bird. Only for a moment though, the flight paths are rather different! :P And the "Blue Striped Swallowtail", smaller than the Black or Yellow ones, it has black wings, with a brilliant blue/green band.

Not only yellow and black, the wings also have some small details in blue and red on the rear pair of wings:

I particularly liked how the colours of the butterfly and blossom pop against the dark background:

This last photo is not a swallowtail butterfly but a Vanessa cardui also known as "Painted Lady" or "cosmopolitan" in North America and as Himeakatateha in Japan, which translates to "Princess Red Standing Wings". I've only captured one shot of this butterfly this summer, perhaps I'll find another chance this weekend!


I hope the photos have brightened your day! My day is always a little better if I get to see some butterflies!

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