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Project Noah Nature School
Battus philenor
I'm pretty sure this was a male as he has very bright iridescent blue markings. We planted a couple of pipevines this year so hopefully we get to see many more of these lovely butterflies in the future.
Spotted on Oct 4, 2011
Submitted on Oct 4, 2011
1 Comment
Added to Animals with Warning Colors mission. The distinctive markings blue of the Pipevine swallowtail are a signal to it's predators that it is poisonous. Other species such as the Spicebush swallowtail & the black morph of the Eastern tiger swallowtail mimic this species to gain the benefit of it's reputation.