Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

There are moments in life that are just pure happiness, and this was one of them. I have been stalking butterflies in my yard - and everywhere else - all summer long. And on this day, I had the best tiger swallowtail sighting of the entire summer!

It was a day for working at home. And usually once in the morning and once in the afternoon, I take a 15-minute break and go sit in the yard to watch for hummingbirds. (Let's just pretend it's a cigarette break, shall we? Though I do not smoke . . . )

I went out into the yard around mid-afternoon, and some hummingbirds came by. Then a huge yellow butterfly showed up and began feasting on joe pye weed. It took its good time and I was able to get some very close shots in good light. It is an Eastern tiger swallowtail, Papilio glaucus, and most likely a female, as I do not see any blue or orange spots near the tail that would denote a male.

But that wasn't all! Then a really cool new bug showed up. My husband had just yelled from the front yard that a "fancy bug" was in the yard. This is the term we usually use for hummingbird moths. And indeed the bug was fancy, and it was kinda big, and it looked blue when it flew, but it turns out it was a tiger bee fly, and not a hummingbird moth. (See its picture in the extra photos area - but really, it doesn't do it justice! When it flies, it almost glows with a lovely blue shade.)

And while I was standing as close as possible to the butterfly garden admiring the huge yellow swallowtail and the marvelous new blue tiger bee fly feasting there (YES!!! *double-fist-pump!*), two more things happened in the very same instant. A black butterfly arrived and flew all around us, and then two hummingbirds chased each other right through the middle of us, chattering all the way!

AWESOME! This ranks up there as one of my top moments of summer, from a bug and bird perspective, anyway. And so let the tune to accompany this image be a happy, happy one: The Turtles, with Happy Together. For we are. Oh yes, we are!   :-)