Great Mormon Butterfly
Papilio Memnon
origin: South East Asia

Asian Swallowtail
Papilio Lowi

Haitian Cracker, see how well this butterfly blends in with rock it is resting on?

Julia aka The Flame
Dryas Julia

Ruby Lacewing
Cethosia Biblis

Common Mormon
Papilio Polytes

Owl Butterfly
Caligo Memnon

This Swallowtail lived most his life in Aunt Gwen's backyard. He was laid there as an egg, hatched, ate and grew. He then clung to a small tree rose named Baby Grand where he spent two weeks metamorphing into this gorgeous butterfly. His siblings took a little longer to grow and ended up wintering over as chrysalis until spring. They too, one by one, became butterflies and flew away. Look for the caterpillar stage pictures.

In late summer of 2004 my basil, parsley and roses hid a bunch of caterpillars. They showed up as they searched for places to form a chrysalis. Some of the chrysalis were green and some where brown. Once emerged as a butterfly after two weeks while most spend three months as a chrysalis. I was lucky enough to see this one both form a chrysalis and finish emerging as a butterfly.

Right on Hwy 1, just north of Grand Avenue is an old grove of eucalyptus trees. Monarchs winter there. On a sunny day, the trees come alive with these spectacular butterflies.

Right on Hwy 1, just north of Grand Avenue is an old grove of eucalyptus trees. Monarchs winter there. On an overcast day, the butterflies drape over the branches of the trees and are almost invisable. In this picture, light has hit the trees and the butterflies begin to take wing.

Moarning Cloak Butterflies were common in Southern California 50 years ago. Now the are an endangered species (maybe not on the official list, but in danger of extinction all the same). When Aunt Gwen was a very young child these were her favorite critter in the whole world. She would take her little red wagon from house to house and collect as many of the spiney looking caterpillars that she could find. She would return home with them dripping from her wagon. At four years old she knew the entire life cycle of this butterfly. This picture was taken at the butterfly exhibit in Seattle at the Woodland Zoo.