Tiger

The tiger swallowtail was enjoying the buttonbush flowers.

 

Deep dive

The first tiger swallowtail I've seen this spring was deep into the azaleas.

 

Yum

The swamp milkweed must be pretty tasty.  

 

Tiger

Tiger swallowtail, minus one tail.

 

Butterfly trees?

Lately I've found butterflies sitting in trees.  Are they laying eggs on the leaves?

Or just resting?

 

Who am I?

I thought this would be easy.  But is it a Black form of the Tiger swallowtail? (see here)

Or a Pipevine swallowtail (here)  or a Black swallowtail (here) or a Spicebush swallowtail (here)?

Or does it matter if they're all beautiful?

 

Tigers

The Tiger Swallowtail butterflies were busy in the wildflower field.

 

Butterfly heaven

The wildflower field at the museum of art may not have looked impressive this year, but the butterflies were thick on the few flowers that bloomed.

 

Most common

I read somewhere lately that the Tiger Swallowtail is the most common butterfly in North America.  I don't know about that, but it is one of the most noticeable.

 

All of a sudden, butterflies

Walking through the arboretum, we saw a lot of bees and flowers.

But no butterflies.  When we came to the native plant section, the butterflies were everywhere.

 

Tiger

A Tiger Swallowtail snacks on a zinnia in the flower field at the museum of art.

 

Tiger swallowtail

This tiger swallowtail posed for me on a milkweed plant.  There were lots of bees and a few butterflies on the milkweed.  But no Monarch butterflies.  

 

Visitor

This tiger swallowtail couldn't leave the azaleas alone.

It was a swallowtail without the tail.  I wonder who snipped it off?

 

Welcome visitor

A tiger swallowtail came to visit the garden.

Tiger

The tiger swallowtails don't seem to mind showing off.

They'll sit still, open up and pose for a photographer.

Their underwings are almost more beautiful.

And away she goes!

Tiger swallowtail

Who says you have to be a Monarch butterfly to enjoy milkweed.  This Tiger swallowtail spent a lot of time fluttering around the milkweed patch.

Pollinator Garden

This little garden at the NC Museum of Life and Science is for pollinators.  It has the little bee house, and flowers for the butterflies.  You can see a tiger swallowtail if you look closely.

First butterfly

I think this is a female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (females have the blue spots according to Wikipedia).  She sat calmly while I took her picture.  She is the first one I've seen this spring.