Clodius parnassian butterfly

The clodius parnassian butterfly
One of my favourite things to do is to stroll about in some natural area with a camera and see what I can discover.  Admittedly, it lacks the rigorous nature of cardio activities which my body would benefit from.  It also has the disadvantage of being a boring spectator sport for anyone who may accompany me on such a quest.  This is why I usually end up doing it alone.  The great thing about it all though is that I am not alone; all about me are marvelous examples of what wonders exist.

Yesterday on my walk I came across a butterfly I have never seen before.  It had some remarkable features on it unique to my experience.  The wings were mostly white, unusual for native species, with gray blotchy edges.  It also had a yellow head and black antennae.  It was rather large, although not as big as a swallowtail.  It wasn’t until later that I identified it as a clodius parnassian.  Its scientific name is Parnassian clodius. 

I keep quite a good collection of field identification guides in my RV when I travel for just this very reason.  I must have 5 or 6 good books on butterfly and moth identification.  They rarely let me down, especially when I am in the region they specialize in.  It took ten minutes of searching and cross referencing before I felt confident in my verdict. 

The interesting thing about Parnassian butterflies is that the male, once copulation has been achieved, prevents other males from repeating his success by attaching a sphragis to his mate.  It sounds Scottish, doesn’t it?  The sphragis does, however, allow the passage of eggs.  The male can go about his business looking for more reproductive opportunities while the female is left to bear his young. 

The caterpillars feed on wild bleeding hearts; I see plenty of these plants on my travels but have yet to identify any larvae.  The eggs are laid in the fall near a food source so that, in the spring, the young can feed.  Most caterpillars are somewhat picky about their host plant.  The wrong plant species will guarantee death.  The advantage of this though is that we can use specific kinds of caterpillars to control particular weeds.  The downside is that foreign invasive species can wipe out plants that have no resistance to their enormous appetites.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com

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