Western Tiger Swallowtail on native California Thistle

This is a gorgeous Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) butterfly working a new flower of California Thistle (Cirsium occidentale var. californicum, Asteraceae) that has just opened in the woods today. I've mostly been seeing these brilliant butterflies flying up and down the canyon without ever landing, so it was a treat to find this one visiting this new flower today. Later in the summer, the Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon) butterflies start to look cream-colored like this one, but there's no confusing them with the real thing. Maybe this photo shows both swallowtails at the same time. (San Marcos Pass, 26 May 2020)

It was downright HOT today, in the low-90s. Fortunately there wasn't much wind - in fact a little breeze would have felt pretty good. It sounds like it will stay hot for two more days, then cool down dramatically on Friday.

Taken in: United States / California / Orchams (show map)

Taken on: May 26, 2020

Tags:

Western Tiger Swallowtail

Papilio rutulus

Papilionoidea

Lepidoptera

butterfly

first flower

California Thistle

Cobweb Thistle

violet thistle

Cirsium occidentale var. californicum

Asteraceae

San Marcos Pass

Santa Barbara County

California « less

Sets appears in: • Flora 4 • All Insects 7 more » • Butterflies 2 (Lepidoptera) « less

Groups appears in: • Butterflies • Insect Photography more » • CaliFlora • Native Plants of California « less

Camera: Nikon D3500, f/11.0, 1/320 sec, 55mm (=82mm), ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D3500
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Focal Length:	55mm (35mm equivalent: 82mm)
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	-1 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Manual
Light Source:	Fine Weather
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Ver.1.00
Show full info

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