Wednesday, July 20, 2011

A TIGER IN THE GARDEN


As butterfly history in North America goes, the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail sports the most distinguished record—or at least the oldest—being the first New World species depicted by an artist. In 1587, John White, an English painter, and then a member Sir Walter Raleigh's third expedition—and subsequently, the only surviving member of the ill-fated "Lost Colony"—drew an illustration he entitled "Mamankanois," which is believed to be the local Indian word for butterfly.

Nowadays, the big yellow butterflies are common almost everywhere, easily one of the most familiar and recognizable species around. Or they are if you find one willing to fly low and sit still. I often see Tiger Swallowtails flitting high in the sky, well above the tops of the towering sycamores which line the riverbanks. And even when one does decide to come down and check things out closer to ground level, they often seem highly skittish and unsettled, flapping from one flower to another, overly wary of my presence and spooking long before I can get into camera range. The other day I chased one around the yard for half an hour and never managed a single exposure. 


Then again, butterflies, like all living things, are individuals—and you occasionally find one that doesn't seem to mind being stalked by a harmless photographer. That's the case with the Tiger Swallowtail seen here, which showed up late in the day, in the still-sweltering heat, just as I made ready to water the plants. From coneflower to coneflower, the swallowtail flew, sampling nectar from each and every pinkish bloom. 

For a few minutes there in the sweet gloaming, with the river purling soft in my ear, I followed the ethereal golden creature on its supping rounds…and somehow forgot all about being hot.
———————     

6 comments:

Grace said...

Tiger Swallowtails like to hang out in my garden too. I've had some success getting decent photographs (much easier than hummingbird moths!). They are fun to follow around the yard, regardless of whether I get a good shot or not.

Grizz………… said...

Grace…

You know, crazy as it sounds, I have an easier time photographing hummingbird moths. Course now that I've said so, I'll never manage another shot for years.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Your butterflies are so big Grizz - we have nothing which is anything like that size.

Grizz………… said...

Weaver…

Many of our butterflies are fairly large—though not by tropical standards. A big Tiger Swallowtail (usually a female) can be upwards of 5 inches across.

Vagabonde said...

That is a real good picture of the Tiger. I have not been able to take their pictures in my yard. I don’t get out in the evening because we have so many mosquitoes and they love me. Thanks for coming to my blog and looking at the snake – I feel reassured.

Grizz………… said...

Vagabonde…

I usually spend the last of the day working in my plants or just sitting on the deck,watching the the light fade and the river slide along—though with the heat this week, it's cooler in the cottage, even given our lack of air conditioning. So not many photos.

I'm glad there was enough of the snake visible in your photo to be pretty certain of the I.D. You have no worries with that one.