#papilionidae

Fluminense Swallowtail (Parides ascanius), family Papilionidae, Brazil

Vulnerable.

Black swallowtail larva enjoying dill plant

this iberian scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthamelii) has certainly seen better days, but i think photos of butterflies like this are at least just as interesting as those of freshly eclosed, perfectly intact individuals. there's an element of storytelling involved, if you think about the multiple potential predators it might have eluded. it could also just be really bad at being a butterfly, but the point stands

Scariest costume ever!

I ended up coming up with an idea for something spooky, so I drew it. 

The wasp is Trogus vulpinus, a parasitoid of Papilio canadensis and other spp. 

Obviously, the wasp is not quite to scale, but for the purpose of the theme, drawing a giant one makes sense.

An apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo) on the Pindos mountains, Greece