A newly emerged pipevine swallowtail

pipevine swallowtail

After noticing the chrysalises last week, I was delighted to see a newly emerged pipevine swallowtail this morning, hanging on the ledge outside the bathroom window (near the pipevine plant). 

Its wings were already expanded, but it wasn't yet ready to fly.  It stayed there for maybe 45 minutes, then finally flew away.

Pipevine swallowtail pupae

Pipevine

A large pipevine (Aristolochia macrophylla) rambles up to the roof on a trellis outside my study window in the Piedmont.

Some years, it's a great host for pipevine swallowtail caterpillars; in other years, we don't see any.  This has been a good year for early sighting of butterflies and caterpillars, maybe because of unseasonably warm temperatures early in spring.

Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar

Chrysalis

I noticed chrysalides (=chrysalises) in numerous places on the top of the porch arches and along the base of the gutters. They'll probably emerge this summer (I saw some empty ones).

I hadn't noticed so many in previous years.

Chrysalises and (probably 4th) instar

Bottlebrush buckeye and swallowtails

The large bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus sylvatica) in the front of our house is in full flower.

It's glorious for a couple of weeks in mid-June each year. It keeps getting bigger, but we selectively prune the suckers to keep it from over-running the kalmias and rhododendrons nearby.

This picture doesn't do it justice at all, taken quickly before heading off, but shows how large the flowers can be.

Swallowtails are enjoying visiting the flowers; pipevines and this black swallowtail (I think) are abundant.

Note: Actually, it's a pipevine swallowtail (Thanks, Randy) - we have lots flying around right now, thanks to our huge pipevine (Aristolochia macrophylla)!