Pipevine Swallowtail in the Desert

by Judy Kennedy

Title

Pipevine Swallowtail in the Desert

Artist

Judy Kennedy

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The year 2018 in Arizona was known for its bountiful blessings of rainfall in its desert and snowfall in the higher elevations. This gave way to one of the most extensive and long-lasting wildflower seasons ever seen. I know because this picture was taken on October 19, 2018, and this beautiful butterfly would not have been there if that were not the case. Even though I didn’t catch lighting on one of those gorgeous wildflowers, I was able to get off a quick shot while it rested briefly on a neighboring creosote bush. I feel very fortunate for having done even that because butterflies are so elusive and difficult to photograph without more expensive equipment than my hybrid camera. This is what I consider to be one of the most beautiful butterflies of the Sonoran Desert - Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) with its black wings of blue-green-purple iridescence. This one is most likely a male because there are no visible spots on the forewings as there are on the female. Both have wingspans of about 3.5 inches and when caterpillars are black with red spikes due to the toxic plants they feed on. They love watery or riparian areas, and while this one was found by the dry wash in my front yard, it had flooded in recent weeks, as it was a very moist year for the Arizona Sonoran Desert. At any rate, they are spectacular butterflies that are blessings to behold!

Uploaded

April 9th, 2020

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