Zebra Swallowtail butterflies (Eurytides marcellus) are amazingly skittish. They fly all about, approaching plants as though they were planning to land and then change course at the last moment. I was thrilled during a recent trip to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge when this beautiful Zebra Swallowtail landed on a small wildflower and stayed still long enough for me to lower my monopod and focus on it.
I was shooting at the extreme end of my long telephoto zoom lens and was not sure if I could capture the fine details of the butterfly—the lens is supposedly soft at 600 mm. I was delighted when I saw my shots on my computer to see that I had managed to capture the beautiful red markings that really pop amid the zebra stripes pop on this swallowtail. Even the long antennae and the “tails” of the butterfly are pretty sharp.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
The zebra swallowtail is beautiful. I love all the markings you were able to capture.
Beautiful capture of all those wonderful markings.
Beautiful image Mike! Enjoyed seeing it!
Awesome shot of this beautiful butterfly !
Thanks, Rudi.
When I spot one of these beauties (one of my absolute favorites!), I know pretty soon I’ll be feeling dizzy trying to keep up with that crazy flight pattern.
As you show us, the result is totally worth it!
“Dizzy” is the right descriptor for Zebra Swallowtails–I definitely have to spin my self around as I try to track them in the air.
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