Strike up a conversation with me about butterflies and you will quickly learn I consider the two-tailed swallowtail butterfly one of the most spectacular creatures on earth.
And if truth be told here, there are very few other creatures on earth I would rather watch and especially photograph than the two-tailed swallowtail.
So delicate yet so resilient and beautiful, this particular butterfly shouldn’t take a backseat to any of earth’s creatures when we’re dolling out praise for what nature has blessed us with.
And luckily for this blog post, I have these three images taken yesterday in the backyard of a visiting two-tailed swallowtail butterfly to help prove my point regarding their natural splendor.
The two-tailed swallowtail butterfly (Papilio multicaudata) is found west of the Mississippi in North America ranging from British Columbia to Central America and all the way to the west coast of the United States.
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Here in Utah, two-tailed swallowtail butterflies are currently on the wing and are commonly found in suburban areas that offer suitable host plants.
This isn’t an extensive list by any means but the most common host plants that attract the two-tailed swallowtail butterfly include willow, ash, cherry, poplar, and chokecherry trees, some of which are commonly found in urban areas such as backyards and city parks and why this particular swallowtail can be found in many city locales.
With its striking contrast of large, bright yellow wings adorned with black stripes, the two-tailed swallowtail is certainly one of the most strikingly beautiful butterflies in nature.
Habitat for the two-tailed swallowtail butterfly includes canyons, foothills, streams and creeks, and many urban areas, places as such that offer both suitable host plants for egg-laying and nectar-producing plants for the adults to feed on.
And with a wingspan ranging from 3 to 6.5 inches, the two-tailed swallowtail butterfly is indeed the largest swallowtail in western North America.
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So, hopefully with these newly taken photographs of a two-tailed swallowtail butterfly in my backyard, you can see why I love this particular butterfly as much as I do.
They are nothing short of spectacular.
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