This butterfly snaps it's wing shut, sharply. I have two butterfly books and can't identify it.
ID Please
It looks like one of the Black swallowtails to me.
I thought so too, but it's so triangular. I can't seem to find it in either book that I have. It really snapped it's wings shut sharply when I was taking pictures, but it stayed there.
Maybe it was still extending its wings? I would agree that its a Black Swallowtail b/c the body appears to be spotted. The other swallowtails that have similar coloring all seem to have striped bodies.
Well, you know, ''he'' didn't look like he was expanding, but maybe so. I thought the snapping of the wings was to warn me off. Is it male or female?
I would say a male. Females have fewer of the dark upper row of yellow spots that this one has and they have more blue on the wing to mimic the Pipevine. In my yard, I would know that he was a youngster b/c it doesn't take very long for some animal to take a bite out of their wings. My "regulars" all have swiss cheese wings.
Thanks. I have nice butterfly books, but it doesn't identify the sex of the picture shown and I couldn't find one without another row of yellow spots across the top of the wings.
Your picture is from an angle if you look at the body, maybe that is what makes it look so triangluar. I would say Black Swallowtail also, but then I have had a very good track record lately! LOL!
Thank you all! He was so pretty. I've noticed a few new butterflies to my area this year and was hoping he was unusual. I'll take him tho!
When I was checking my reference books (all 2 of them), my first thought identified your specimen as a Missouri Woodland Swallowtail...reading further it noted that that species was presently noted to occur only in the Missouri Ozarks. The book then noted that the Woodland ST is superficially similar to the parsnip ST (or Black ST) which is widespread throughout Missouri and by implication probably not uncommon in Iowa as well.
Laughing, I checked all three of mine! I did grow carrots, but didn't see any evidence of nibbling. It's not impossible to be getting butterflies from another state. Just trading from Dave's could bring in eggs. I had an angelwing/comma for the first time and a prominent, I think. I've never seen him before.
