While we were at Happy Hollow Gardens on Sunday, I took several shots of the bumblebees and butterflies that were all over the azaleas. This one, covered in pollen, is an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, which is also the state insect of Virginia.
I am not sure how many other states have insects, but I sure am glad that we are represented by such a beautiful creature in this category. In the summer, our garden is full of these beauties, in this creamy shade and the dark blue or black version. They are so elegant and dainty as they go from flower to flower feeding.
I never have been able to spot the caterpillar stage of this lovely creature, they say they look like bird droppings, which help camouflage them from predators. Maybe that is why, I don’t usually look for that sort of thing in the garden. Now I will have to pay closer attention and see if any of those droppings move.
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