Florida is home to several types of swallowtail butterflies, but one of the most easily identified is the zebra swallowtail (Protographium marcellus). Most of the other swallowtails are much darker colored than the zebra swallowtail with its wide white stripes. Of course, like all of the swallowtails the hind wings are adorned with long tails that extend back behind the butterfly. These guys are usually on the wing in the early spring, through the summer, and into the fall and feed mainly on flower nectar, although they will also eat fruit, especially if it’s overly ripe, and they will eat dung from time to time as well.

This one was busy making the rounds of the blackjack flowers in my front yard. It floated around me several times and stopped to nectar on a number of the flowers, but in most places it didn’t stay long, which made getting photos of it somewhat difficult. I rather liked this particular shot because of the way the sun was shining on the wings giving them a semi-transparent look. I hope you like it, too.