#papilio

[herpsandbirds]

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) caterpillar, family Papilionidae, Eastern U.S.

photograph by Ryan Hagerty/USFWS

[himekokosu]

Papilio dehaanii　♂

[destination-girl]

[razehider]

dorsal shots of butterflies tend to be flashier than lateral ones, but there are exceptions. even as a chronic mediterranean summer sun hater i have to admit it looked kinda sick when it bombarded this old world swallowtail (Papilio machaon) and made it look like stained glass from the side, although i got hit by the same sun and all it did was make me squint

(July 9th, 2025)

[malioli]

The Weight of a Morning Mist

On a gloomy morning in the Mediterranean, beauty doesn't shout—it whispers. This Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) is anchored to a stalk of grass, its intricate wings laden with beads of dew. It is a moment of stasis, a forced pause in the frantic life of an insect, waiting for the hidden sun to breathe life back into its sails. Captured with a piece of vintage glass, the image reflects a world where time slows down, and every silver droplet tells a story of survival.

[snototter]

An old world swallowtail (Papilio machaon) in Belgium

by Bart Wursten

[cnestus]

Trogus edwardsii (Ichneumonidae) and the swallowtail chrysalis it emerged from. Collected 1939

[saritawolf]

Emerald Peacock Swallowtail (Papilio palinurus) - (c) SaritaWolf - please do not repost