Spring has definitely arrived in our area, but I was still quite surprised this past Saturday to see an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus) at Huntley Meadows Park—it seems so early for butterflies like this.
I chased after the butterfly several times, to the extent that you can chase something while on a boardwalk, but each time the butterfly flew away. I had more or less reconciled myself to the likelihood that I was unlikely probably not going to get a shot of this early spring butterfly when I caught sight of it again.
The butterfly landed in a muddy open area where a flock of Canada Geese had previously been feeding. There were no flowers around from which to get nectar, so the butterfly resorted to an organic source of nutrients.
This is definitely not the prettiest shot of a butterfly that I have ever taken, but it’s the first butterfly that I have photographed this season. Like the butterfly in the photo, I am content to settle for what I can find, hopeful that better things are to come as we move deeper into spring.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
If it’s fine with the butterfly, it’s fine with me. I don’t know butterflies well at all, but I can spot a swallowtail, and it’s always a pleasure to see them. Their colors and size make them an easy place to start with butterfly identification.
It does seem early for butterflies but I think everything is going to be a little early this spring.
We’ve had a crazy mix of weather here and I know some of the flowers and trees are blooming ahead of schedule.