too soon?

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Surprisingly, I saw my first tiger swallowtail of the season flying high through the tulip trees near my home last Sunday, March 8.

It appeared to be patrolling, probably indicating it was a male. These swallowtails are a treetop species. The females, once they have mated, lay their eggs on the leaves of various trees, including wild cherry, sweet bay, basswood, tulip tree, birch, ash, cottonwood, mountain ash and willow, but at this time of the year, there are no leaves.

We are weeks away from leaves. WEEKS.

Adult tiger swallowtails only live about twelve days. They feed on the nectar of flowers from a variety of plants including wild cherry and lilac, which bring them lower to the ground. Yet, none of these are really blooming now.

But, eating is only secondary. Reproduction is its top priority. My lone swallowtail's window of opportunity is small. Twelve days. As I write this, his winged life is half over. He's middle aged. By Monday, he'll be elderly. By Wednesday, a shadow of his former self, tattered and torn. By Friday, his twelve days are spent.

Does this mean that the male emerged from his chrysalis too early? Was it tricked by the three-day warm spell we had earlier in the week? Did he take a risk? Will his search for a mate go unrewarded? Will he starve to death before its twelve-day lifespan comes to an end?

Will his eagerness go for naught? His genes leave the gene pool? Does evolution favor the tardy, those that play it safe?

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