Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Papilionidae

Thought I'd take a quick break from posting photos of my week's trip to Yellowstone, and also add a splash of colour. Couldn't find a photo on Google last night of a butterfly that looked exactly like this one, but I think it could possibly be a Great Mormon? Taken (on an Hibiscus flower) in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 8 September 2012. I don't usually get a sky background at the Conservatory, but this was a very tall Hibiscus, so I was looking up towards the glass ceiling and sky. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_memnon#Female_form_butlerianus

Not the most photogenic of backgrounds, but I was still lucky that this gorgeous Emerald Swallowtail landed on the window in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. Taken on September 1st. "Papilio palinurus has a wingspan reaching about 8–10 centimetres (3.1–3.9 in). This species is one of the very few green butterflies, that are unusual in nature. The dorsal sides of the wings are covered by a powder of green scales and the background vary from dark greenish to black, with broad bright emerald green metallic bands. The undersides are black with orange, white and blue spots along the edges of hind wings, that show extended tails at the end. The flight of these butterflies is swift and quite fast. Caterpillars feed on plants of genus Euodia belonging to the Rutaceae, commonly known as the rue or citrus family. The iridescent green sheen of the bands of this butterfly is not produced by pigments, but it is created by the microstructure of the wing scales. They refract the light and give rise to blue and yellow visible reflections, producing the perception of green colour when additively mixed." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_palinurus

A Pink Cattleheart, Parides iphidamas, photographed at the Calgary Zoo on 15th April. "Parides is a genus of butterflies. Parides belongs in the family Papilionidae. They are found in North America, Central America, and South America." Wikipedia. Sorry, going to have to try and greatly limit my Flickr time this evening (yet again!) Was out from about 7:30 a.m. to around 5:30 p.m., botanizing the Horseshoe Canyon near Drumheller, east of the city. This is part of the badland area and quite spectacular scenery. There was a pleasant breeze near the top of the canyon, but down in the canyon bottom, it was HOT. Temperature forecast for today was 27C, but it heats up lower down, where the hot air gets trapped. I don't like hot weather and don't do well in it : ) Especially after getting a total of maybe four hours of sleep over the last three nights!! The day started off really well, when I happened to notice a Great Horned Owl against the cliffs on the far side of the canyon. Then I lowered my camera to what I thought must be a bleached, tree stump - turned out to be another owl. Then, I heard hissing nearer to us, which I thought sounded like a young owl, and sure enough, out flew another one. I think we saw four altogether. Never dreamt of seeing owls there! I have NO outings tomorrow, thank goodness, so I hope to sleep in and recover a little bit, LOL.