On days we have class Lexington and I always walk together. It’s kind of a routine type-of-thing; meet up in the lot by the parking garage and walk to class. We usually discuss homework from the night before or quiz each other before an exam. Since we started doing the biodiversity blog, we have become much more observant of what is around us. Whether it is a bird, tree, or insect, we try to get a picture and attempt to identify it. The other day we spotted a butterfly flying around a shrub. I immediately took out my camera and tried to get the picture, which proved difficult. I thought of my wildlife photography days and just snapped pictures until the butterfly was too far away. It was a success!
Next came the task of identification. Neither of us are very good with our etymology, so I googled it. By identifying the wing type and colors of the butterfly, I figured out it was the Western Giant Swallowtail (Papilio rumiko). The Western Giant Swallowtail is found from the Southwest of the United States through Mexico and Central America. The best way to ID this butterfly are the two maize-yellow bands on the forewings, and a central band of spots. Its forewings grows to be quite large reaching 50-58 mm.