Swallowtail Butterfly

From violent storms to gentle butterflies, I cover it all. I have for you today what appears to be an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. This one seemed to be begging for me to take its picture. And who was I to turn him down?

I was walking a new nature trail when I saw this big butterfly flit across the path in front of me. It landed on a high branch next to the trail. I knew this was a golden opportunity that I shouldn't pass up, so I got as close as I could, even though the shrubs there were very thick.

There were several problems though. First of all, the butterfly landed in a spot where the leaves concealed it too much. I just couldn't get a very good view. Then a swarm of flies decided that they liked the taste of my face. I don't have infinite patience, so I called it quits and moved on down the trail in a huff.

You may have already guessed because of the pictures that I got what I wanted. On my way back I saw the very same butterfly. It was sitting in the very same spot! I decided to try one more time. But then it got up and flew away across the path! I thought it was gone, but it quickly landed on a branch not far away.

This time I had an excellent view, the one you see at the top. I took several identical pictures of this beautiful creature before it flew again. It's next destination was another branch only a few feet away from the last. It thought it was hidden this time, but I was able to get a few more good shots of it behind the leaves.

Nature always presents a new surprise for an everyday adventurer. That's sometimes easy to forget. I'm glad for these little surprises. These are what keep me going. I will always love this.


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