Giant Swallowtail ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) It's wingspan is about 6.5 inches. It stayed like that for several minutes so I was able to get 3 photos before it flitted off. Sightings of them in my area are fairly rare according to the http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/spec ... resphontes website. So if you scroll down that page, one of those orange dots in Texas is me. I sent them the info and photo and it has been added to their database.
That's awesome Toni! I haven't seen any butterflies OR Honey Bees yet this year That one sure is a beauty.
You must have been so excited when you saw it Toni. Thank goodness you had the presence of mind to take photographs of it. It's a real beauty. :-D
toni...what a beautiful butterfly you captured in your photo. I have never had a giant swallowtail here yet.
You did great to get it's picture. I've seen a couple around here, but they seem to be in a hurry and never stop for very long.
I was shocked when I first saw it just spread out on the shrub, it gave me the impression that it had just emerged from the chrysalis and was letting it's wings dry. I begged it to stay right there so I could get the camera and it did. I got two telephoto and one long shot, cropping the long shot resulted in a much better photo than the telephoto shots were. I saw it the next day (or another just like it) floating down the street looking for something to sip on. Not sure what it found around here since I don't have it's nectar food or caterpillar favorite in my yard yet. I have to find a Rue plant somewhere.