= This butterfly family "PAPILIONIDAE" includes all the 'swallowtails', 'birdwings', 'festoons', and the 'apollos'.
Swallowtails are found worldwide as large, colorful, and usually characterized by their tails. They are also known as strong fliers.
Birdwings are generally the largest member of this family, extremely colorful and are found in the Australasian regions only.
Shimmering wings of Apollos appear as flashes of bold color flitsing from flower to flower across mountain slopes, hills, and fields.
Some Festoons have characters of both Swallowtails & Apollos and multi-patterned coloring that highly confuses their enemies.
Among these species there are many where the tails are absent.
== These thumbnail photos below, open to Galleries that are each dedicated to a specific species of butterfly. Lots to see! ==
~~[abreviation "ncn" in titles = no common name. ~~ Some photos replaced as better images are acquired.]