This Zebra Swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus) had its wings fully extended as it reached for nectar from an unidentified plant last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I love the way that the photo below shows the butterfly’s long “tails” that appear to be fully intact, making me wonder if this butterfly had recently emerged.
In my area of Northern Virginia Zebra Swallow tails tend to have at least two broods a year. According to the local Prince William Conservation Alliance, “The summer generation is larger and has proportionally wider stripes and longer tails than the spring generation.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I had no idea that butterflies could lay multiple broods. I looked it up – apparently, down here in coastal Texas, they can have even more than two. Interesting!
I end up coming across lots of interesting tidbits of information when trying to identify the subjects that I have photographed. Nature is a lot more complex than we realize. 🙂
Interesting facts. I didn’t know about the wider stripes and longer tails
Stunning photo, Mike.
Wow – beautiful!
beautifull picture 👍