#battus polydamas

[thebutterflywhisperer]

this cutie was born the other day!!! 🤠♥️

[phostracks]

Battus polydamas, the Polydamas swallowtail Oak Village of the Trails in Volusia county, Florida 15 October 2014, Nikon D7100

It seems that I spend more time photographing moths than I do butterflies. Whereas I’ve represented about 28 different species of moths so far on phosTracks, our total butterfly species count at this time is three — and that’s including this one, the Polydamas swallowtail (Battus polydamas). Heh. Truth is, the moths come out at night when I tend to have more free time, and they have a habit of coming to me — bunkering down on my house and on my back patio. Butterflies, on the other hand, are more active by day, and they can sometimes be rather difficult to get close to — at least in contrast to the moths.

This Polydamas swallowtail was certainly an exception. I found it clinging to one one of window screens well after dark. Though active and alert, the butterfly was also quite agreeable — even letting me open its wings so I could get the haphazard dorsal shot you see below.

In the Butterfly world, I truly do adore the swallowtails (Family Papilionidae). I’ve seen and photographed a decent number of swallowtails from Alaska to Florida. Their body forms are mostly consistent, but swallowtails feature a brilliant array of colors and patterns. This particular species is considered tropical and, in the United States at least, is mostly limited to the Floridian peninsula, though it does sometimes stray elsewhere in the continental United States and is reportedly present in Texas. The Polydamas swallowtail, sometimes also commonly known as the Golden rim swallowtail, also ranges throughout significant swaths of Central and South America. Fortunately, I don’t have to travel quite that far to find this brilliantly patterned species. On more than a few occasions, they come right to me!

The Polydamas Swallowtail (Battus polydamas), 15 October 2014 Battus polydamas, the Polydamas swallowtail Oak Village of the Trails in Volusia county, Florida…

[eumorpha-dream]

Battus polydamas larvae feeding on Aristolochia in Florida. These guys were EVERYWHERE at butterfly world when I went years ago. I bought a pipevine to bring home with me and it had a few hitch-hikers. They all pupated and emerged before I left FL but the larvae were AMAZING. The adults are cool too.