Scarce Swallowtail

Papilio machaon (Old World Swallowtail) and Iphiclides podalirius (Scarce Swallowtail), like many other butterfly species, were named after Homer's Iliad heroes. In Greece, both these two species are commonly called "Doctors", because Asclepius's sons Machaon and Podalirius were the doctors of the Greek army, dyring the Troy expedition. This Scarce Swallowtail, was spotted foraging on a neighbour's lilac tree, Volos, Greece.