Tiger Swallowtail, wings spread
Papilio glaucus
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail · Brooklyn Botanic Garden · 12 July 2025
An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail basking on a magenta zinnia in the July border, wings held flat rather than folded and the full stripe pattern on display. It is the big yellow butterfly of the eastern woods and gardens, from Florida to Ontario, and a zinnia bed in July is where it spends the afternoon.
Basking like this is thermoregulation as much as display: a butterfly's flight muscles need to be at around 30 degrees to work, and the dark stripes soak up sun faster than the yellow. The tails are decoys; a bird strikes at them and the butterfly flies off short a piece of hindwing.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
Every photograph comes with notes on what it is.
Selected
Favourite shots. Filter by subject, or .
Places
Everything, by where it was taken.
Species
Larger catalogue of photos organized by species of animal or plant.
Catalogue
Every photograph, newest first. Narrow it by period, place or species; the three work together.
Updates
Coming soon. Sign up at the bottom of the page for updates.