Isn't this awesome? I was cruising into town when I noticed this little fella clinging onto my windshield wiper for dear life. I pulled over at the next safe opportunity, took him onto my hand, and set him down in the grass.
Click to embiggen! I'm very proud of these shots!
Coincidentally, the Minor News has an article on them today!
It says, "Canadian tiger swallowtails [are] one of seven species of butterfly that survives the winter in Alaska."
"Their primary predator, besides the windshields and grills of automobiles, are yellowjackets, which eat the butterflies when the butterflies are in caterpillar form..." And also Linden. Their other primary predator is Linden.
7 comments:
it let you hold it & didn't fly away? was it injured or something?
I don't think it was injured, but it was definitely in shock from clinging on in the wind!
Beautiful! I'm glad you were able to rescue it from your windshield. May I use your photo for an art project? It will either be a painting or a beaded cuff... in the fall when I have indoor time.
Sure! I'd love to see photos of it when you're done, too!
Dear Linden,
Please don't eat the butterflies. Also don't eat any bees. Instead, try a delicious cricket or cockroach. They are fun to chew on and then spit back out onto the carpet!
What a beautiful butterfly, great detail in the photo.
Thanks! It will be a few months, somehow time gets away from me in the summer.
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