Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly on a Red Zinnia
by Catherine Sherman
Title
Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly on a Red Zinnia
Artist
Catherine Sherman
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
"Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly on a Red Zinnia" by Catherine Sherman.
A zebra swallowtail butterfly sips nectar from a red zinnia. The zebra swallowtail is the Tennessee State Butterfly, but the butterfly was photographed in Kansas where it is less common.
Protographium marcellus, the zebra swallowtail, (formerly listed under genera Eurytides, Iphiclides, Graphium and Papilio by some authorities) is a swallowtail butterfly native to the eastern United States and southeast Canada. Its distinctive wing shape and long tails make it easy to identify, and its black-and-white-striped pattern is reminiscent of a zebra. The butterflies are closely associated with pawpaws, and are rarely found far from these trees. The green or black caterpillars feed on the leaves of various pawpaw species, while the adults feed on flower nectar and minerals from damp soil.
Featured in "ABC Group" (05/19/2014); "Philanthropic Artists For A Cause" group (12/28/2015); "Midwest America Photography" group (10/24/2018); "Groovy Butterflies" group (11/04/2018)
Uploaded
July 19th, 2013
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