Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio alaucus Linnaeus
I was more familiar with the male swallowtail, which is yellow with black markings. When I saw this beauty, I wasn’t sure what it was. I was surprised to find out that it is a female tiger swallowtail.
The plant is Liatris spicata, also known as Blazing Star or Gayfeather. It is a native perennial plant, growing 3-4 feet tall.
She would make her way from bloom to bloom around the plant. After maybe 5 minutes, she would flutter out into the yard and circle around, coming back to land and feed again. At first she was in bright sun, which made for some harsher photo light. Fortunately, she moved to another patch of flowers in the shade, and prettily posed.
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