Hey Hivers! I am new to this platform but have been studying insects for many years - particularly butterflies! In this post I wanted to highlight something very positive: this has been a great year for Battus polydamas – the Polydamas Swallowtail - or Borde de Oro en español. We have seen thousands of these butterflies here on the farm where we live in central Argentina, much more than last year, and I just wanted to share a bit about this beautiful pollinator.
The wings are constantly in motion so getting a clear picture is often a challenge, the pictures captured here are a result of lots of patience and waiting for the perfect moment:
The Polydamas swallowtail is of the same family as the Pipevine swallowtails and has a similar host plant – a type of pipevine. A host plant is the plant of family of plants on which an adult female butterfly lays their eggs & the only plant (or plants) the caterpillar will eat.
There are a few other flowering plants that the polydamas really love on the farm where we live like Echium (pictured above) and Marigolds (pictured bellow) and of course the typical butterfly flowers like lantana and calendula which are recommended plants for any pollinator gardens.
I titled this post Common Butterflies because Battus polydamas is not specific to Argentina or even South America. Polydamas swallowtails are common butterflies in much of tropical and subtropical north, south, and central America and possibly other continents too. If you live somewhere in the Americas, be on the look out for this mostly black & yellow butterfly with pinkish-red dots on the outer wings. And if you can, plant native pipevine plants, other host plants, and flowering plants for your local butterflies. As a result you will surely see butterfly populations rise in your yard and area.
What butterflies are common in your yard or area? let me know in the comments!
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I LOVE your first picture! I just know I am going to love reading your posts, so informative and such gorgeous photos!
thanks so much! I really had to wait around for a while to get that first picture, their wings move so fast - so I am glad you liked it and the post. Happy Gardening!!