The Butterflies Are Arriving

I caught this male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail nectaring on a Pin-cushion plant in my garden this Thursday. Every time I see a butterfly I think that this species is my favorite one.

Of course I say that about everyone I see.  All butterflies are amazing creatures.

If you stop and think about it, how could something so colorful and delicate be a real living thing?  Nature can  produce things that we can not.

This butterfly is very large and has an interesting trait that others do not.

The males are yellow, but the females can be yellow or black!  In fact the female can be black on one side and yellow on the other.  I would like to see that..

This is called dimorphic coloration. A pretty neat trick.

Swallowtails come in many forms and names. All will have the “tail” on the bottom.

They live in every state and a few in Mexico.  The ones that are here in Texas like Coneflowers, Petunias, and Zinnias.  Very easy to grow and  good plants to have in your garden.  The Pin-cushion plant that the fellow in my garden is also a good plant to have even though it is hard for them to land on it because it is spindly.  Flowers with a wider platform like Zinnias are easier to land on to have a little sip of nectar.

So be watching in your garden. If you don’t have a garden, plant some colorful pots. Soon you’ll have flying jewels around your home.