I was thrilled to capture some shot of a Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio troilus) this past weekend at Green Spring Gardens as it fed on a lantana flower. I am so used to more muted colors when I am shooting in the “wild” that the brightness of these flowers seem almost unnatural.
If you look closely at the butterfly’s legs in the first image, you will see that one of them is blurred. Obviously the butterfly was moving about and my camera’s shutter speed was too slow to stop the motion. In many cases I would be disappointed with that lack of sharpness, but I find that it acceptable here, because it doesn’t really distract the viewer’s eyes.
There are a number of dark-colored swallowtails in our area, but the Spicebush Swallowtail is the only one with a blue swoosh on its wings in the middle of a row of orange spots.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
What a stunning butterfly ! Love the orange of the flowers echoed in the swallowtail!
I like the fact that you caught the butterfly dancing on the Lantana!
A gorgeous specimen Mike, love it.
Really nice shots of that butterfly, Mike. They don’t usually hang around long or ever stop fluttering those wings.
Thanks, Joe. I was pretty persistent and a bit lucky as I chased that fluttering butterfly.
I haven’t seen this one. It’s a beauty. Nice shots!
Very Nice Mike! Always fun to see butterfly images!
Beautiful!