Large and Small Butterflies

Butterflies were still a little hard to find in early May; here's an Eastern Tailed-blue and an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail I met back then. These are both fairly abundant butterflies in New Jersey. Even though we have more Eastern Tailed-blues in a typical summer, I suspect the average New Jerseyan thinks the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is more common. This is mostly due to their much more conspicuous size - they're among our largest butterflies - but the contrasting yellow-and-black coloring also gets attention. The Eastern Tailed-blues, on the other hand, are pretty small, and with their wings up they mostly look they appear off-white with some black specks. This might not constitute camouflage, but it's not as attention-getting. And while the male Eastern Tailed-blue below is a purplish-blue, the females are more of an earth-toned gray.

Finally, habitat is also a factor. I usually see Eastern Tailed-blues close to the ground while Eastern Tiger Swallowtails are often found waist-high or higher. You'll probably encounter Eastern Tiger Swallowtails closer to eye level, making them a little easier to spot.

May 8, 2023 at Bamboo Brook
Photo 282304539, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

May 8, 2023 at Bamboo Brook
Photo 282304632, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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