Posts Tagged: Papilio rutulus
Marilyn's Miracles: Anise Swallowtail Butterflies

If you've ever reared a butterfly--from an egg to a caterpillar to a chrysalis to an adult--you know what it feels like. Like a miracle, to see life unfolding. Our friend,...
Pupal cases: a stark reminder that two anise swallowtail butterflies eclosed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A newly eclosed anise swallowtail,Papilio zelicaon, reared by Marilyn Sexton of Fairfield. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Ready to fly: a newly eclosed anise swallowtail,Papilio zelicaon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Some flight fuel on Agapanthus and off it goes, an anise swallowtail. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Western Tiger Swallowtails: Not All Are 'Picture Perfect'

It was "hit and miss." The predators hit, and they missed. Oh sure, they took a chunk out of these Western tiger swallowtails, but as they say, "a miss is as good as a...
A Western tiger swallowtail nectaring on a butterfly bush. Note that it is missing part of its tail. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This Western tiger swallowtail, nectaring on verbena, is missing part of its forewing. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A newly eclosed Western tiger swallowtail, structures all intact. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Case of Survival of the Flittest

If you visit the Kate Frey Pollinator Garden at Sonoma Cornerstone--and you should, especially during National Pollinator Week--you'll see honey bees, bumble bees,...
Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, nectaring on verbena in the Kate Frey Pollinator Garden, Sonoma Cornerstone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, heads for more nectar in the Kate Frey Pollinator Garden, Sonoma Cornerstone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Caught in flight: a Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, in the Kate Frey Pollinator Garden, Sonoma Cornerstone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving Day, and what better day to stop and be thankful for not only family and friends, but for the beauty around us. That would include insects, including the...
A Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) nectaring on a butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This gravid female Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) can't get enough of a butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Beauty of a Western Tiger Swallowtail

One of the joys of planting a pollinator garden is watching majestic butterflies flutter in and sip a little nectar. Today a Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) took...
A "very gravid" female Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) nectars on a butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The gravid Western tiger swallowtail looks up from the butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This image of the gravid Western tiger swallowtail shows the enlarged abdomen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Orange and blue spots accent this yellow and black butterfly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)