Tiny Tuesday ...

... Eastern Black Swallowtail.

This is not one of the swallowtails that we over wintered.  Or at least I don't think so as the last one that emerged and we released was almost a month ago on June 24.  

I just happened to be in the sunroom when I saw her flitting around the backyard and then go to the parsley plants that we have out there just for the swallowtails.  They use parsley to deposit their eggs .... see extra of this same swallowtail doing just that.  I'm not really happy with either of these photographs but I wanted to record the occasion of her leaving us her eggs. 

This event really got me thinking .... 

I'm sure that there are other species/insects that will simply leave their eggs and walk away ... or fly away in the case of butterflies.  This leaves the eggs very vulnerable to all sorts of things ... predators, weather, etc. It's no wonder that some butterflies are endangered.  Monarch populations have decreased steadily over the years ... it's a bit sad and scary really.  We need these beauties in our lives!