Swallowtail butterfly, Redwood Regional Park

The odd thing about this beautifully posing butterfly is that it's on a poison hemlock flower. Yes, it's what they gave Socrates. Hemlock's toxin isn't absorbed through the skin; you have to swallow it to be effected, so I'm guessing it won't pass through this beauty's exoskeleton either.

These butterflies are called swallowtails because of their forked tails. They are fairly common around here, and a joy on a warm summer day.