Here’s an eastern black swallowtail butterfly sipping from liatris (blazing star) blossoms yesterday. This insect (Papilio polyxenes) also is known as the American swallowtail and the parsnip swallowtail.
I’ve seen relatively few of these butterflies here this year; in fact, I’ve seen fewer of them than their struggling orange cousins, the monarchs.
Black swallowtails were rare before Americans started clearing forests; they prefer open field habitats and are almost never found in the woods. However, what humanity creates it can take away. There are reports that have associated the decrease of farming fields in the northeast with the decrease of black swallowtails as well as other butterflies here.
As with many black things, some cultures reportedly view these swallowtails as evil omens, even as portents of death. (If you hear reports of my sudden death, you’ll know what to blame.) (Images taken on August 6, 2022.)