A Papilio rutulus was philandering with flowers when I got home this afternoon. Mr. P was so preoccupied that I was able to get close enough with my phone to get some detail. Commonly known as the Western Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio rutulus is a swallowtail butterfly belonging to the Papilionidae family.
Off Center & Not Even 
Beautiful!!! 💜💜💜 And oh my gosh! I caught onto the fact that “Papilionidae” is similar to the French word for butterfly – papillon! 🦋
Thanks, Samantha. Similarly it’s papilionem in Latin. And a Social Butterfly is “socialis papilionem.” Butterfly in Spanish is Mariposa, which is a lovely name.
That’s awesome!!! About an hour or so into the mountains from where I live is a town called Mariposa! 🦋
There could be butterflies there. Although it’s in Mariposa County. I looked it up. It’s a quaint town. Have you been there?
I have!!!! Very cute and quaint, and they do have a butterfly festival (never been, though!)
A butterfly festival sounds like fun.
Nice butters and flowers. Glad they held still for you.
Thanks, Brad. The tirger swallowtails are one of the most difficult to photograph because they are so skittish. They will also fly all around without landing on anything and then dissapear.
Giving any photographer whose trying to track them a bout with motion sickness.
I gave up on trying to get the in flight. Impossible for me.
SOOOOO pretty!! I love those colors!!
Thanks, Leenda.
What a beautiful visitor in your garden and he was su bussy feeding that you were able to make these nice captures.
I knew he wouldn’t stick atound long enough to get the bazooka, but the phone did a decent job. Thanks, Rudi.
Mr. P is a beautiful visitor, Tim. Glad you caught him amid those electric blue flowers. That is some intense blue!
Those flowers are a wonderful blue, too. Thanks, Lavinia.
Simply beautiful
Thanks, Shey.
What a beautiful encounter! Gorgeous photos!
Thanks, Marina.
Excellent shots of the philanderer and his mistress!
A blue lady for a mistess. Thanks, Liz.
You’re welcome, Tim.
How beautiful is this? Soooo beautiful!
Thanks, Holly.
Wonderful images… beautiful colours x
Thanks, Sue.
Oh wow! What a beauty. And I love how he’s a perfect accessory to the flower, having just enough purple to match 🙂
He does color coordinate well. Thanks, Dale.
He does!
Dear Timothy,
what an amazing blue and then the butterfly 👍 If we would be a butterfly we would go for this blue as well.
Thanks for sharing. All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thanks, Fab Four.
Beautiful.
Thanks, Charlotte.
A lovely visitor on pretty flowers! Simple pleasures!
Thanks, Nancy.
Amazing beauty! Thank you, Tim! xx
You are welcome, Resa.
Eye catching lovely flowers! 😍
Great photography 💐🙏
Thanks, Debasis.
The butterfly too looks beautiful 💖
Thanks, Debasis.
Love butterfly’s
Thanks, Miamacnimin.
Those are my favorite butters. Looks like this one was getting a bit frisky with the purple flower…maybe it is their midseason “rut”.
Could be it’s hot for purple. Thanks, Brian.