mystery papillon

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I heard from Ursula Foreman this week. She’s a member of the Tellico Village Garden Club in Loudon County and sent the above photo, wondering what kind of papillon was visiting her butterfly bush.

It’s a zebra swallowtail, for many the quintessential swallowtail, noted for its black and white stripes, rust-colored antennae, triangular wings and exceptionally long tails. It also indicates that somewhere nearby are pawpaw trees, its host plant where the females lay their eggs.

It is also the Tennessee State Butterfly. (The Tennessee State insect is the ladybug and the firefly. Apparently no one in the legislature could choose between the two. Admittedly it's a hard choice. I hear that Romalea guttata has been nominated to be the Tennessee State grasshopper. I'll keep you posted.)

Thanks, Ursula.

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thanks

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Special thanks to the Tellico Village Garden Club. I spoke to them today about "Winter Birds"—the birds that spend their winters in the Tennessee Valley—and somewhat apropos to the topic, drove back to the nature center in the snow.

I speak to the group every January; it's a tradition. See you again in 2011.

-Photo of a purple finch

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