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Carol Keeler | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery:Insects,Butterflies, Dragonflies, Damselflies, Bees, Spiders > Great Swallowtail
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21-AUG-2008

Great Swallowtail

For the last few weeks I've had many different butterflies and a few moths drinking nectar from the butterfly bushes out front. There are purple coneflowers too, but the butterfly bushes are the most popular. I've found it pays to watch and try to photograph any type out there because I don't always realize that I have something different right away. Case in point, I saw a swallowtail so I grabbed my camera and when I looked, I knew I had another new one from its very large size. It was very unusual compared to the others in that its top set of wings were always fluttering. It never stopped with its wings at rest. The other swallowtails normally open their wings or close them as they go around the flower. They don't keep fluttering. It was a windy day so maybe there was a reason for the constant fluttering. For swallowtails I've had the black, spicebush, eastern tiger, Canadian tiger, and now the giant. It's been a great year for butterflies!

Nikon D200
1/1000s f/8.0 at 300.0mm iso400 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Sam Stevenson29-Aug-2008 00:43
Beautiful shot.