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Old World Swallowtail

Papilio machaon

Photo by PatriciaPi
Published on Project Noah
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38.6468, 0.0678711

Field Notes

Description:

The imago typically has yellow wings with black vein markings, and a wingspan of 65–86 millimetres (2.6–3.4 in).The hind wings of both sexes have a pair of protruding tails which give the butterfly its common name from the resemblance to the birds of the same name. Just below each tail is a red eye spot.
The butterfly has a strong and fast flight, but frequently pauses to hover over flowering herbs and sip nectar.

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Comments (4)

Lovely little creature.

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