Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

On the way to one of the mundane tasks of collecting the mail at our mail center, Paul and I happened across a very beautiful sight. A buttery yellow object came gliding out of the sky almost floating like a leaf until it flapped once or twice and then floated again. Butterflies always seem pretty graceful, but this surpassed any I've seen and maybe it was the shear size of its wings that made it appear to move effortlessly. Anyway, I ran back home to get the camera realizing that the patch of flowers it was heading to seemed to be keeping it busy. Sure enough, there it was flitting from flower to flower, not noticing us in the least.

Of course then I came back and tried to find what kind of butterfly it was and turns out it is the state butterfly of South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Alabama and Delaware-- a popular belle. This yellow beauty is called an eastern tiger swallowtail (Notice the long tail like extensions on the wings). It can be found as far north as southern Vermont and as far west as Colorado, but it is most prominent in the east. It is noted to be a strong flier according to South Carolina State Parks, and an important pollinator of orchards and gardens.

If you are into knitting like me, and would like a lace challenge, check out Fluff Buff's new project that is called "Wing o' the moth" which reminds me of this butterfly. She posted it on Sept. 10.

In case you were wondering, I still can't figure out what type of butterfly we found over Labor Day (see picture). Let me know if you know-- I'm very curious.