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Papilio polyxenes
Is this Butterfly different from an Eatern Black Swallowtail? The yellow pattern looks a little different than of the other pictures I have of one.
Found unable to fly in a parking lot.
Spotted on Jul 16, 2011
Submitted on Jul 18, 2011
3 Comments
wow thats really cool never would have guessed.Thank you both!
Your particular Black swallowtail is a male. Males have a wider band of yellow than females while females display more blue on their lower wings. The females mimic the look of distasteful Pipevine Swallowtails and gains protection for female butterflies to mate and lay their eggs without being eaten.
Looks like an Eastern Black. Here are some tips on how to tell it apart from similar species:
http://myfloridabackyard.blogspot.com/20...