"What are you lookin' at?!!"
I tilled out a new garden here as a buffer between two others. I decided that this garden should be just a profusion of similar, yet different colored flowers, like coneflowers. While setting out more plants in that area yesterday, this critter literally came barging through. Usually, I’m having to chase these things down to get a shot. Not this butterfly, however! It literally pushed me away from my work as it slurped up whatever coneflowers have to offer. It stuck around for the better part of an hour, long enough for me to grab the camera with a long lens and extension tube… that gave me plenty of detail in this eastern tiger swallowtail while blurring the background.
Have you ever wondered how some things get their name? There are two descriptions within the name of the tiger swallowtail butterfly. The first is its adornment of yellow and black stripes throughout the wingspan and body. Females are larger than males and more colorful with the blue shading on the trailing edge of their wings. Females can also be dimorphic, which just means that there can be a change of some sort within the species… they can be as pictured here or be totally dark-colored with few yellow markings. They’re still the same species. The term 'swallowtail' describes the long and tapering tail-like features in the hind wings, which resemble the tail of a swallow bird. How about that? The day's just barely in the long stretch and already your mind is filled with useless information... you're welcome!
This critter was a bit rude. “Get out of my way… I’m eatin’ here! What are you lookin’ at? Are you lookin’ at me?!! Take a picture… it’ll last longer!” So I did. I’ll post at least a couple more in the coming days. Thank you! I’ll be here all week… and be sure to leave a tip in the jar!
"What are you lookin' at?!!"
I tilled out a new garden here as a buffer between two others. I decided that this garden should be just a profusion of similar, yet different colored flowers, like coneflowers. While setting out more plants in that area yesterday, this critter literally came barging through. Usually, I’m having to chase these things down to get a shot. Not this butterfly, however! It literally pushed me away from my work as it slurped up whatever coneflowers have to offer. It stuck around for the better part of an hour, long enough for me to grab the camera with a long lens and extension tube… that gave me plenty of detail in this eastern tiger swallowtail while blurring the background.
Have you ever wondered how some things get their name? There are two descriptions within the name of the tiger swallowtail butterfly. The first is its adornment of yellow and black stripes throughout the wingspan and body. Females are larger than males and more colorful with the blue shading on the trailing edge of their wings. Females can also be dimorphic, which just means that there can be a change of some sort within the species… they can be as pictured here or be totally dark-colored with few yellow markings. They’re still the same species. The term 'swallowtail' describes the long and tapering tail-like features in the hind wings, which resemble the tail of a swallow bird. How about that? The day's just barely in the long stretch and already your mind is filled with useless information... you're welcome!
This critter was a bit rude. “Get out of my way… I’m eatin’ here! What are you lookin’ at? Are you lookin’ at me?!! Take a picture… it’ll last longer!” So I did. I’ll post at least a couple more in the coming days. Thank you! I’ll be here all week… and be sure to leave a tip in the jar!