May 30, 2009

Fly Away Home

A beautiful, newly emerged tiger swallowtail showed up in our garage this week. He wasn't able to fly well yet, so he hung around to be photographed.
My insect book says the larvae feed on willow, alder, sycamore and aspen. We have aspen lining the driveway, so that must be where his cocoon spent the winter.
Here's another butterfly friend. This one decided to rest on Mischief's mane.
Of course, we think of butterflies being symbols of spring, all sweetness and light.
I hate to disillusion anyone, but I discovered that a butterfly's eating habits are not entirely pleasant. These guys are hogging up on ... coyote turdules!
To view an abundance of photogenic critters, click here.

25 comments:

  1. Just gorgeous! I'm loving the double horsey & butterfly shot too:)

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  2. What pretty butterflies! The first one is gorgeous!

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  3. I seem to be losing my comments! The top photo is very attractive. The banner for your blog seems quite descriptive and reflects what you have written in your profile. Your life seems idyllic. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  4. Butterflies are cool, horses are cool, butterflies and horses together are double cool.

    Butterflies and coyote turds are interesting.

    btw, I nominated your blog for best travel blog at "bloggerschoiceawards.com"

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  5. I see only a handful of these butterflies in a season. These are so new and perfect. Love the shot of the horse and butterfly!

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  6. Butterflies are like magic. How special for you and Mischief. Love that first shot of the cooperative one, but also appreciate the last shot.

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  7. Janie: wonderful photos of the Tiger Swallowtail, I saw a Black Swallowtail today.

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  8. Great series - I like the first one best. Beautiful! :-)

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  9. Wonderful shots. I had no idea butterflies ate poop though! I may never kiss another butterfly on the lips :)

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  10. Butterflies flitting about always brings squeals from the children!

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  11. The first two are wonderful! As for the third one...I didn't know that butterflies had such a diet either!

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  12. Beautiful butterfly and what a beeeuuuutiful horse. Did you know that butterflies taste with their feet? Their taste sensors are located in the feet, and by standing on their food, they can taste it! Yikes on the coyotee poo, I always thought they liked fruit!!! ;)

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  13. I had no idea that butterflies can't fly at first. And Mischief is a beauty. That last photo...well I'm glad I ate before I saw it! LOL

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  14. Oh my goodness, that tiger swallowtail is STUNNING!

    I am just going to go right on believing that butterflies only eat beautiful, nice-smelling things like flowers.. ;)

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  15. Lovely photographs. Yep, the butterflies are equal opportunity eaters. Sometimes flowers, sometimes poop!

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  16. Great photos !!

    That first one is beautiful and the one of Mischief with a butterfly on her mane is awesome..

    beautiful butterflies in the third one, but I don't think I'm ever going to have a butterfly settle on my hand, again, without wondering what their feet were last on !!! :-)

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  17. Really good photographs! I love seeing butterflies. We don't get many here in the UK compared with abroad, but ones we do have are shy being seen. What a lovely place you live!
    Love Granny

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  18. It would be interesting to know what food or nutrients the butterflies were getting from coyote turds--maybe a sort of salt lick for them? Nature is a strange & mysterious place, and in relatively undisturbed systems, evolution does work out a balance over time so that little is "wasted."

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  19. The photo of the tiger swallowtail is gorgeous -- very well done! I guess I prefer to think of butterflies without knowing too much about their dining habits!

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  20. You did a top notch job capturing this tiger swallow tail!

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  21. A selection of great photos. I never knew butterflies snacked on pooped either: dirty little monkeys!

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  22. That yellow butterfly is a stunner. It probably almost never eats poop, probably only ambrosia or honeysuckle.

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