The Sublime Swallowtail
Published by You may be familiar with the Common Yellow and the Western Tiger, but the Swallowtail family of butterflies is much larger and diverse than you may imagine. Take a look at some of the less familiar species, along with some stunning photographs, and revisit one or two you have perhaps seen before.
The Old World Swallowtail
Although not restricted to the Old World, Papilio machaon occurs throughout Europe, Asia and North America. However, the alternative name, the Common Yellow, although more accurate, has less of the natural glamour that the insect itself exhibits. The black vein markings give the butterfly a striking appearance. The name of the insect is, of course taken from the swallow like tails which protrude from the hind wings. Caught wonderfully in this shot you can see the red eye spots at the base of each tail. The caterpillar, for its own safety against predators, spends the first part of its existence looking like bird guano. This is a real ugly duckling to swan scenario, then.
The Chinese Peacock
Found in Japan and Taiwan, this beautifully dark species looks as if it has a sprinkling of iridescent blue dust on its wings. The female, seen here, also has red spots under its wings. It is found in Japan and Taiwan, mostly in wooded areas. However, the Japanese Prickly Ash is becoming popular in urban gardens and so it is making some inroads in to populated areas. It has a wingspan of between four and eight centimeters and this really depends on when it was born. Papilio bianor which pupate in the spring tend to be smaller than those which emerge in the summer.
The Emerald Swallowtail
Name a green butterfly, apart from the one above. Yes, you’re right, there are not many of them around and the Emerald, Papilio palinurus, is one of the very few extant green species of butterflies in the world. The Emerald is found in South East Asia, particularly the rainforest of Malaysia.
Image via Wikipedia
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18 Responses to “The Sublime Swallowtail”
On May 24, 2009 at 11:52 am
I really enjoye your way of presenting these lovely creatures to any stuffy museum with its dead specimen!
Great one again
On May 24, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Excellent and so beautifully documented. Another great article of yours I really enjoyed.
On May 24, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Like the summer Zebra the best but they are all pretty.
On May 24, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Gorgeous!!* Nice article*
Blessings.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
On May 24, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Excellent article that was well presented and stunning photos of swallowtail butterflies.
On May 24, 2009 at 8:08 pm
On May 24, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Amazing creatures, fascinating colors, excellent way to describe.
On May 24, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Wow..thats really amaze me..such a beautiful,colorful and wonderful creatures on earth..excellent article as always..Well done and keep it up my “gurus”.
On May 24, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Beautiful.
On May 25, 2009 at 8:41 am
These pics are awesome RJ so is your article
On May 25, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Another great read with stunning pics. Love reading ur work on the insect world. Thanks for the blog and digg action on my last article. Means a lot. Keep em coming.
On May 26, 2009 at 8:14 am
just two word: Simply gorgeous =)
On May 26, 2009 at 10:31 am
Never knew there were so many species of butterflies. I really like the pics of the Sebra Swallowtail and the Emerald Swallowtail. They’re so unique! Thanks for sharing. 0;D
On May 26, 2009 at 5:08 pm
São obras de arte de DEUS!
CD.´.
On May 26, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Wonderful pictures and detail.
On May 28, 2009 at 12:57 pm
loved the article, I’m a fanatic when it comes to butterflies……gorgeous pics too.
On June 1, 2009 at 7:18 am
The pipevine butterfly would have to be my favorite as my 2.5 year old daughter is obsessed with butterflys….if you don’t mind I’m going to print out these images and give them to her for view….she will love these! very cool piece!
On June 2, 2009 at 4:36 am
Beautiful. Very beautiful.
Excellent write.
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