A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Papilio cresphontes
Very large swallowtail butterfly. Forewing with diagonal band of yellow spots. Tails are edged with black and filled with yellow. Wing Span: 4 - 6 1/4 inches (10.2 - 16 cm).
This one was photographed flying about 20 feet above shrubs at the shower station near the beach at Huntington Beach State Park near Murrells Inlet (Georgetown County), SC. The Atlantic Ocean is within 150 yards of the spotting.
Caterpillar Hosts: Trees and herbs of the citrus family (Rutaceae) including Citrus species, prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata), and Common Rue (Ruta graveolens). Adult Food: Nectar from lantana, azalea, bougainvilla, bouncing Bet, dame's rocket, goldenrod, Japanese honeysuckle, and swamp milkweed.
Spotted on Aug 23, 2014
Submitted on Dec 26, 2014
No Comments