black brown butterfly – SilverLining

I came upon this butterfly on the path along the backside of the pond today. It’s a gorgeous insect; the colors are so striking. The body appeared more black to me than they appear in these photos, which look brown. But when I researched it, it is described as brownish black. At first, I thought it was an Eastern Black Swallowtail, but the markings weren’t right. So, I investigated further and now think it’s a Spicebush Swallowtail.

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.

(Click on any of the images for full-sized viewing.

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Tag: black brown butterfly

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly