Dark Swallowtail Butterflies

I have had a lot of butterflies in what I call my butterfly garden. It is actually a very small part of my flower beds. All zinnias. The butterflies love them. This year I didn't plant any zinnia seeds, but the seeds from last year have given me as many flowers as I have had in previous years. Last week I photographed butterflies on several different days. Notice the top photograph the dark swallowtail only has one row of orange spots. This tells me this is a dark Tiger Swallowtail. The Tiger can be up to 5 1/2 inches. These two photographs of the wings open are what really tells me it is a dark Tiger Swallowtail. Notice the blue highlights around the white dots, these are not present on the Spicebush Swallowtail.

Next we have a Spicebush Swallowtail, it has 2 rows of the orange spots.
The Spicebush is only up to 4 1/2 inches.

Notice the white dots on the upper wings, no second row of blue highlights.

The last photograph is a better photograph of the Spicebush.

Until I loaded the photos in the computer I did not even know I had two different types of swallowtails. The dark Tiger was photographed on 7/19. The Spicebush were photographed on 7/23 and 7/24. There were 2 Spicebush here at the same time.

Then there is the Pipevine Swallowtail, which only gets to 3 3/8 inches. When seen in the field it appears different right off, at least to me. I don't think I have ever seen a Pipevine in my own yard. The first time I photographed one was at Cataloochee Cove in the Smoky Mtns National Park. Still hope to see one this summer.

And I did see a Red Spotted Purple this summer at Rockwood, but could not get my camera quick enough for a photo. They are more rare in this area, and I have very few photographs of a Red Spotted Purple.

First Spicebush Swallowtail this year

I was beginning to wonder if the butterflies were going to come this year.
These photographs of a Spicebush Swallowtail were taken Tuesday morning, this was the first Swallowtail I have seen in my yard this summer. He did not hang around long.

I did go ahead and make one of the photgraphs into one of my greeting cards.

Your can view more of my greeting cards at www.leedrasgreetingcards.blogspot.com
Any photograph on my blogs or on my website can be selected for any card I have.

Spicebush Swallowtail on zinnia

The photographs of the Spicebush Swallowtail speak for themself.

It was fun to follow him around.

Swallowtail in Hyperion daylily

It is a Swallowtail. But which kind? I have pored over my book. I thought it was a Pipevine, but the bottom photo appears to show some orange on the topside. Is it the flutter of the wings, and it really is showing some of the bottom? Does anybody think you know with some confidence which type of Swallowtail it is?

Spicebush Swallowtail

These photos of the Spicebush Swallowtails were also taken on the side of the road. I am beginning to think I need to plant some thistle in my yard. (Just kidding!) I orginally had this posted as a Tiger Swallowtail, then changed it to a Pipevine Swallowtail, but I have done a LOT more research and determined it is really a Spicebush Swallowtail.