A Queen butterfly / Papilio machaon on a Sunflower flower against a lovely soft background. by Marga Vroom

About "A Queen butterfly / Papilio machaon on a Sunflower flower against a lovely soft background."

by Marga Vroom

About the artwork

The swallowtail butterfly (Papilop machaon) is one of the most striking and largest butterflies in the Netherlands. The wings of this butterfly are bright yellow with a distinctive pattern of black lines and spots. A broad blue band runs along the trailing edge of the hind wings. In the inner corner of the hind wing is a prominent red dot with a black border. The hind wings end in long, graceful 'tails'.
The swallowtail has a complete metamorphosis from egg, to caterpillar, to pupa, to adult butterfly.
Females deposit their yellow, round eggs individually on the vvladeren on flower buds of host plants. The young caterpillars are small, black with a white spot and resemble bird droppings to deter predators. Older caterpillars are thick and bright green with distinctive black, yellow-green and orange spots. The caterpillar pupates, often low to the ground, on a stem of a plant. The colour of the pupa can vary from green to brown depending on the environment, which helps in camouflage. The second generation of pupae overwinters.
In the Netherlands, the swallowtail flies from late April to mid-June and the second from early July to early September. In warm summers, a third, partial generation can sometimes fly in October.
The swallowtail is a highly mobile butterfly that can travel long distances. It lives in various open areas, such as herb-rich grasslands, kitchen gardens, fields, roadsides and wetlands. They are also increasingly seen in gardens. The adult butterflies get nectar from a wide range of flowering herbs, such as thistle, clover and butterfly bush. I photographed the butterfly on a sunflower against a soft green background early one morning.