Butterfly on the Sidewalk

I don’t know very much about butterflies, other than they are wonderful to look at, but I guess I’d better learn about the various types since I’ll capture them (digitally) when the moment looks right.

Normally you find them perched upon some beautiful flower or bush but occassionally they can be found in odd places. I recall a gorgeous specimen perched on the radio antenna of my vehicle once, and of course had no camera with me, but I always remembered that moment. But I digress.

The butterfly below was simply sitting on the sidewalk as I was out walking, so I literally walked up on it. I gently fanned my baseball cap to get it to spread those wonderful wings, which exposed some damage to the right lower one. Clipped by a bird, perhaps? In any case, I grabbed the shot, thanked he or she and left with hopes that it would somehow recover and fly away.

Through the magic of Google I learned that this is a female Troilus Butterfly, not to be confused with the Western Tiger Swallowtail, which has similar markings. Write that down, you could be the star of the next cocktail party.

Camera: Nikon D5000 | Lens: Nikkor 18-200mm | Processing: Adobe Lightroom 3