Hello all! A swallowtail butterfly here. I learned something today . See that round curling thing he feeds from ? when it is not feeding it curls up into a spiral ( most of you prob know that but I didn't lol . Here this little critter is in the process of uncurling it to feed as he has just landed on the flowers. HeheI am always facinated by watching animals and insects so much I love learning ... I tell my girls learning doesnt end when you get out of school its a lifelong process !! well its the first time I ever captured a swallowtail! ...so two butterflys and a dragonfly I finally have after a year of not finding any till this month. yippee !These swallowtails are much more rare in California and usually are seen more on the Eastern coast of the states! Just a little information here about the swallowtail that I am assuming that most of you know about, but here it is for any who havn't studied about them ! The Tiger swallowtail ------------------------------------------------ These butterflies are called swallowtails because they have long "tails" on their hindwings which look a bit like the long, pointed tails of swallows (a type of bird). Butterflies and moths undergo complete metamorphosis in which they go through four different life stages. It takes about a month for the egg to mature into an adult. From catipiller, A beautiful, flying adult emerges. There is no growth during this stage, but the butterfly will sip nectar. This adult will continue the cycle by reproducing. Females produce two broods in the north, three in the south. Wings have distinctive yellow and black stripes. Some females (especially in the south) are much darker, mimicking the poisonous Pipevine butterfly. Butterflies can only sip liquid food using a tube-like proboscis, which is a long, flexible "tongue." This proboscis uncoils to sip food, and coils up again into a spiral when not in use. Tiger Swallowtails drink sweet flower nectar, especially nectar from the pink flowers of the shrub abelia. The Tiger Swallowtail butterfly is not a poisonous butterfly, but many females (especially southern subspecies) are much darker, mimicking the poisonous Pipevine butterfly (Battus philenor). Animals that eat it the poisonous Pipevine butterfly get very sick and vomit (but generally do not die). These animals remember that this brightly-colored butterfly made them very sick and will avoid all butterflies with similar markings (including the Tiger Swallowtail) in the future. The Tiger Swallowtail butterfly frequents woodlands (including temperate deciduous forests) and grasslands, but is also found in a variety of environments, including cities. The Swallowtails found in the USA are brighter yellow then the ones in Europe. These Adult butterflies have a life span of one month and may be encountered from mid-April to mid-July. ______________________________________________ Thank you for all your time and comments on my collage of my many pictures for my 300th upload the other day !! Really appreciated as that one tokk forever to do LOL! ... Love to you all! ((( Big hugs ))) ~ ♥ Kimmers ! :O)