I think I’ve seen this butterfly in past years (or perhaps the Eastern Black Swallowtail), maybe two other times. It had a frenetic movement, flying erratically, never alighting for more than a second. Taking its picture was nearly impossible. 

Today, it sat still for so long that I wondered if it might have just “hatched”. Most of the time I watched it (a total of about 35 minutes), it stood with its wings closed and it trembled – perhaps from the slight breeze – but I had the sense it was disoriented, not quite sure how to “go”. After a time it flew, but within the same small area. Several times it flew around me – landing at my feet often. 

Its colors are remarkable. The blue on the inside of its wings is an iridescent teal that looks like a sprinkling of stardust. The same color radiates from its spots of orange on the outer side of its wings – making a fading trail, like a comet’s – to the edges.

At last, it flew directly into the woods alongside the pond, and after it had gone about 30 feet, I lost sight of it.