Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus).
Captured during his unannounced guest appearance at the Fire and Ice show1.
Alabama Power's indiscriminate and ugly tree-removal policies have saddened me every time I drive this road.2
But when the sun warmed that questionably broad path, I was surprised at what popped up.
Wild hyacinths (Camassia scilloides). They dot the woods beyond the power lines, but this much sun exposure (and no late killing frost this year) caused a population explosion.
I doubt they'll last here long -- brush will dominate within a year or two, choking out anything this small.
But obviously, they can lie dormant, waiting for the day when they feel the sun again.
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1Fire Pinks and Wild Hyacinths
2They don't practice quite so much dogwood-twisting tree torture in ritzy lawyer-heavy Birmingham suburbs, but out here in rural areas, I'm sure they figure no one of importance will mind.
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Friday Ark.
13 comments:
That's quite a beautiful zebra swallowtail. Your lament about tree removal reminded me of a post I read over at Julie Zickefoose's blog. It's an interesting take on the falling of trees.
I have never seen a zebra swallowtail
It is really lovely. Butterflies just fascinate me.
nature turned it into riotous beauty, tho.
Beautiful succession.
Well that's strange, I commented here before - I really thought I did - but it seems to have disappeared. Hmm.
Robin, I heard her read that on NPR. It's even sadder with the pictures.
Bobbie, I think I'd only seen one or two before. Apparently you have to be hanging out near where Pawpaws grow to see them.
Thanks Nancy. Oh I hate clear cutting. They tend to do it here even on the tops of mountains. Dumb dumb dumb.
Pamela, yeah I have to say I was pretty surprised. Still wish they hadn't done it though.
FC, I guess. Problem is, the other stuff that will spring up there - and alien stuff likes to spring up in places like that - will most likely start creeping into the woods and choking out the good stuff.
I only hope to see a Zebra Swallowtail one of these days! Great photos my friend!
Beautiful butterfly piccie
Thanks for seeing the positive too.
Beautiful butterfly
Great information on the Wild hyacinths (Camassia scilloides).
Can you transplant some to your garden?
Be-u-ti-ful pictures!
I was driving down a highway the other day and it would seem the State of Ga. has decided it needed to be widened... All those lovely trees lay on the ground. It looked like rape to me and I just about cried. I did how ever see a woman, about my age digging up a tree (surrounded by fell ones) before the bull dozers got to it and thought~ you go girl!
Beautiful zebra butterfly!
Tom, hang out near Pawpaws!
Sarah, thanks! I was excited to see him.
Tina, it's hard sometimes, but I do try.
DM, well we already have them on our place. One of my friends tried to dig some, but the ground here is so rocky that she gave up pretty soon.
KF, yeah a lot of people do that! Have to be really careful though.
IGW, thanks!
Gorgeous swallowtail! I've witnessed the way wildflowers just "wait" until the conditions are right for blooming. It happened with some trilliums I bought way back in 2003...they never came up, and after 3 years I gave up...then they appeared!
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