The first swallowtail butterfly of the year showed up today on my purple coneflowers. I've been waiting for them to arrive! This particular one is fairly small, with a wingspan of perhaps three inches, and very brightly colored, I think it's freshly metamorphosed from its caterpillar stage. This cutie is a Black Swallowtail. I'm hoping the Tiger Swallowtails arrive soon, too. They're larger, and lighter in color, and it's so much fun to watch both types flittering around the gardens. Click here for a cool website explaining the life cycle of a Black Swallowtail.
This side view shows the polka-dotted body of the butterfly, almost matching the coloring on its wings. It has been outside today on these flowers all afternoon. Both photos are clickable thumbnails, so enlarge them for better viewing!
To see the butterflies from last summer, click here.
NOTE— If my glasses weren't broken, there would be better photos. I really can't shoot photos with the contact lenses I'm wearing right now, they're at least 8-9 years old and I'm walking around in a bit of a blur.
So happy to see this year's first swallowtail...Can't believe the coneflowers are out for you...we are now in a more humid climate, but not seeing a ton of flowers yet...maybe just haven't been out and about enough!!
ReplyDeleteI certainly hope your glasses don't cost the several hundred dollars that my lenses do!! very discouraging..
mare
HI Mare, Everything seems early here, The day lilies will be gone in about a week, and I think of them as August flowers. But yes, my darn glasses will be close to $700. I really didn't need that right now. I picked out the cheapest frames I could, but the lenses were $400 and I had to have a new test/prescription which was another $100. And they're taking more than a week to make. I should have gone to a big box store, which advertise glasses in 2 days, but I thought I'd shop locally. They SAID they could do it in 2 days, but when I called after 2 days to check, they gave me a million reasons why they couldn't do it. I'm angry at them! I lost a whole week of book production last week because I couldn't see the screen and the hardcopy to work from. Oh well, this too shall pass. But my little "cushion" I thought I had for the summer is gone!
ReplyDeleteCASEY, MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU. I CALL 700 DOLLARS GREED. I NEED GLASSES SO BAD ALSO. TWO YEARS AGO I WENT TO THE EYE DOC TO GET NEW GLASSES AND HAVE MY DIABETIC EYE EXAM. WHEN WE WERE DONE I ASK THE DOC FOR MY PERSCRIPTION HE LOOKED AT ME [NOW GET THIS] I DON'T WRITE PERSCRIPTION WHEN I DO A DIABETIC EXAM.I WAS THERE FOR BOTH AND THEY KNEW IT. I STOOD THERE WITH MY MOUTH OPEN LOOKING AT HIM IN SHOCK AND SAID WHY? HE SAID, HE WOULDN'T MAKE MONEY IF HE WROTE PERSCRIPTIONS. HE TOLD ME I'D HAVE TO SEE ONE OF THE OTHER DOCTORS FOR THAT. HE WAS THE DOCTOR THAT OWNS THE BUSINESS. CROOK. NEEDLESS TO SAY I DIDN'T GO BACK TO HIM. ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS TAKE HIS PAD AND WRITE ON IT WHAT I NEEDED. IT MADE ME SO MAD. OLD AGE STINKS SOMETIMES. NOONE CARES FOR US SENIORS ANYMORE. DOCTORS USED TO CARE. THIS DOCTOR I WOULD GUESS IS A MILLIONAIRE. HE'S BEEN HERE IN BRANDON FOR YEARS AND THE WAITING AREA IS ALWAYS FULL. EVERYONE GOES TO HIM. NOT ME ANYMORE. I'M DONE WITH HIM.THAT'S JUST TODAYS WORLD WE LIVE IN TODAY. WE CAN TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.
ReplyDeleteGRANNY
thanks, Granny. At least this year I had the money. If my glasses had broken last summer I'd have had to play Mr. Magoo for the rest of the year!
ReplyDeleteYeah, but how come when we get some extra money, something breaks? LOL I know. Not always! I'm 1 prescription behind on lenses. My last lenses only cost $220 but I didn't upgrade to the new ones because the change was so slight. My eyes actually got BETTER! Woohoo!! Good luck when your new glasses get in. I think they'll be better made than they might be at a big box store.
ReplyDeleteAnd the butterfly is simply beautiful! :)
Katie
Katie: "Yeah, but how come when we get some extra money, something breaks?" Ain't that the truth, lol!
ReplyDeleteI picked up my new glasses yesterday. I'm still not quite used to them. I think the part of the lense that "switches" to the lower bifocal part, is too high. I think my old glasses were 3/4 of the distance part and only the lower 1/4 was for reading. I think the new lenses switch at the 1/2 way level. Oh well, I'm sure my eyes will adjust to them. They look nice, lol.
I have an interesting new post to do concerning the butterflies. I'll try to get to it today!