Tiger Swallowtail on Mountain Laurel

My husband and I went backpacking over the weekend in Sproul State Forest. The weather was just beautiful: mostly sunny and breezy; warm in the sun, but cool in the shade, with chilly nights. Our overnight low for Saturday into Sunday was 42 degrees F. Best of all, we had some of the longest days of the year. It wasn't dark till after 9 o'clock at night!

On Sunday, we walked out to our car and put all of our gear in, and drove to a second spot - a hillside we like to hang out on. In winter, it is our sledding hill. In summer, it is a place where we like to go and hike, and sit.

We didn't have time for hiking, though, as we were on our way home. We did have about an hour to spare, so we walked up the hill and sat in our chairs. I spotted a number of huge, yellow butterflies, loving on the mountain laurel, and took a bunch of pictures, being mindful of where I stepped, and listening closely for rattles in the nearby brush.

The butterflies were Eastern tiger swallowtails (Papilio glaucus), and there were probably a half-dozen of them. I'm guessing this one to be a male. Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is our state flower in Pennsylvania, and the blooms are just starting to open. It's a sight not to be missed!

Here's a song for such a day: U2, with Beautiful Day.