#swallowtails

The Zebra Swallowtail. Butterflies Worth Knowing. 1925.

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

Yellow Swallowtails

Swallowtails and caterpillar (Papilio machaon) from The Butterflies of the British Islands (1906) by Richard South.

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly (male)