Papilio Multicaudata

This evening I spotted our first two Swallowtail butterflies of the season. Well, the first two Two-tailed Swallowtail Butterflies, that is. Yesterday I spotted an Eastern Black Swallowtail flitting about. This evening I went back in the house to fetch my camera, and the phone was ringing.

In that it is berry season on the West Coast, and my business is seasonal and relies heavily on the next three months of business, I felt obligated to answer the phone. Even though it was 5:35 pm. (Yesterday I answered the phone at 5:56 pm, and the Washingtonian orchard grower on the other end KIDDED me about working after hours. He knew it was close to 6:00 pm when he called!!) The phone call today was spent discussing the pros and cons of using hand-held testing instruments to test the firmness of strawberries, at-harvest and post-harvest, the results of which would be combined with tests for nutrition (plant, not human) and blah-de-blah-de-blah. During the 8-minute conversation I paced while looking for that camera. Found said camera, finished the strawberry conversation with a sale, and headed back outdoors somewhat sadly, thinking I had missed the butterlies on the lilacs.

But lo and behold!
Papilio multicaudata

It was something, trying to get a photo of this flitting object in the 10-mph wind. It would flit, the branch would sway, and sway again, the butterfly would adjust and accommodate for the wind... how do they survive?

I was hoping to get a photo of both butterflies, but I think they must be territorial, because the two of them seemed to refuse to stay in the same side of the yard with the other.

The day before yesterday I was out doing a 4.5-mile run/walk (as opposed to a walk/run: more walk than run), and I noticed that the ant hills along the road had been built up quite a bit. Somewhere in my childhood scouting days or other, I was taught that this signaled rain a'comin'. Sure enough, there is rain forecast for tomorrow. The ranchers are all out burning their pastures and tall grass, the farmers are all planting/fertilizing/whatever. And the ants are busy building.

This made me wonder: what do butterflies do in the rain? Do they go in the barn? That would be a fun sight: hundreds of swallowtails in our barn. I will have to research that. Or one of my occasional readers can fill me in...

Speaking of what do critters do...
Yesterday I dug up a wisteria. When I finally pulled all the roots out, here is what was left:

Dazed and confused

I am not sure if I hauled him, prematurely, out of hibernation, or what. I hope he will be OK. I love our toads. Anything that eats bugs is OK in my book.

Back to the Latin for butterfly: papilio

The Papillon is a toy Spaniel
whose name is a derivative
of its characteristic butterfly-like look
of the long and fringed hair on the ears.
Just FYI.

On another canine note,
someone has a bloodhound
who spends time and energy chasing butterflies...