Sometimes There Are Miracles

Tiger Swallowtail on Phlox

On a day surprisingly full of memories, Independence Day as I was photographing flowers in my garden this tiger swallowtail appeared to feed on one of my oldest flowers, the tall phlox, given to me by an elderly neighbor decades ago, grown in her yard and given to her by her aunt when she first married and moved to the house decades before that…the plant likely looks back generations.

Butterflies are always associated for me with memories and departed spirits of those I cherish, and I feel I’m being visited somehow when one appears. This female tiger swallowtail is somewhat in disguise as well, typically black and yellow striped as her name would imply, she is in her black form with the elegant cobalt and red earth spots that I love so well. She was in constant motion, finding this familiar and native species of plant on which to find her meal, she visited each flower in a frenzy of fluttering. Later she relaxed as she found she had plenty of phlox to feed from.

Tiger Swallowtail From the Side

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