In Acorn and Sheldon’s book, Butterflies of British Columbia (Lone Pine Publishing, 2006), the Anise Swallowtail is described as
the most common swallowtail west of the Rockies.
Locally, I have had frequent views of both Western and Pale Swallowtails: e.g., butterfly love, yard delights, butterfly symposium. Yet, it was not until a couple of days ago that I saw my first Anise. Further, another long-time butterfly watcher at the north end of the Lake, saw her first Anise only a month ago.
How is it possible that what the experts claim is common goes substantially unseen by keen local observers? I don’t know, but a clue might lie in the fact that we live in a well treed region and, as Wikipedia notes:
The Anise Swallowtail is a butterfly of fairly open country….
Could it be that those authors were more familiar with the open countryside of the central southern regions of the Province than they were of the forested West Kootenay?
This Anise Swallowtail rarely opened its wings after it alighted, so it was difficult to get a classic shot of spread upper wings. However, this picture provides a definitive view of the top of two of the four wings.
Male butterflies often sip moisture in wet sand. The accompanying nutrients apparently increase fertility.
An Anise Swallowtail Butterfly sets out to increase his fertility.
Gorgeous. I need to try to paint it. My mother and I have been observing the various papilio in our area.
Sometimes I think I glimpse the langorous flap of one with oversized wings pointed out by our erstwhile lepidopterist Maybe wishful seeing.