Close up image of a Tiger Swallowtail
Hello, I’ve seen mentioned more than once in this site that your local Swallowtails are camera shy. This one certainly wasn’t. The image was taken in (northern)Illinois on a plant called Tithonia, aka "Mexican Sunflower" (though it is not a helianthus), an excellent beacon for butterflies, hummingbirds and the like. This image has been cropped, but the full-size image makes a wonderful background for a computer screen. Thank you for providing an informative site.
Regards,
Jeff

Hi Jeff,
Thank you for the wonderful photo of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus.

Viceroy Maybe
I am having trouble identifying this butterfly. I think it is a Viceroy or a Queen but am unsure. I think I have ruled out that it is a Monarch. The red thorax would suggest it is a Queen – Danaus glippus but I really don’t know. Can you help ?
Thanks
Mark

Queen	Viceroy

Hi Mark,
The image you sent today is of a Queen, and the image yesterday was a Viceroy. In Florida, many Viceroys mimic Queens instead of Monarchs. The distinguishing feature of a Viceroy is the narrow black band through the center of the hind wing.

Moth
pretty moth, it looks kind of like a bit of bark sitting there.
Amy

Hi Amy,
This isn’t a moth but a Mourning Cloak Butterfly.

Viceroy? Male or female?
First, I love your web site! Fantastic! I may have to catch and identify the spiders and other critters that seem to like my apartment now that I have a way to identify them. Secondly, today I had a delightful surprise as I walked out to my motorcycle after work. As I approached, this lovely butterfly landed on the side view mirror of my bike. She(?) patiently waited and slowly flexed her wings in the sun while I dug out my camera phone to get these unfortunately blurry pictures. My question is whether this is a Monarch or a Viceroy? My impression is that it is a Viceroy, due to the horizontal black vein across the lower section of the hind wings. Are there other easy ways to conclusively distinguish the Monarch from the Viceroy? And finally, if this is a Viceroy, is there a visual way to distinguish the sex (like the Monarch male’s black spots?)
Thanks,
David Lauridsen
Cincinnati, OH

Wow David,
What a nice letter. Yes, this is a Viceroy, Limenitis archippus which is very closely related to the Red Spotted Purple and White Admiral which it does not resemble. It was long thought that Viceroys tasted good to birds and Monarchs did not, but our Butterflies Through Binoculars Book by Jeffrey Glassberg says that “Recent evidence suggests that, at least in Florida, Viceroys are also distasteful to birds. Presumably, a greater number of similar-looking unpalatable individuals in an area results in a faster learning curve for birds, sparing butterflies.” Also according to Glassberg: “Viceroys are smaller than Monarchs and they often glide on flat wings while Monarchs and Queens sail with their wings in a V.” We can’t really tell you how to easily distinguish male from female Viceroys, but we are amused you thought your specimen was female. We presume it is because motorcycles are chick magnets.

Hi Daniel and Lisa Anne!
JAW DROP!!!!!
WOW!!!!!!!!!!
I just had to write you two, your site is the best bug site I have ever seen! Your main page helped me identify a bug that was posted at our forum, and I must admit that some of the pictures submitted to your site are so absolutely beautiful that I had to capture them for my screen saver! In exchange I wish to offer some photos of my own, taken in my yard in Santa Ana California. I have included 10 photos that I took with my digital camera, you may use them as you see fit I would also like to reply to Rebecca from Southern California who wishes to know how to get rid of all of her bugs, if a reply is allowed.
Hi Rebecca!
I live in Southern California too, and I have all the things you described in my yard as well. If they are getting into your house, then you probably have openings around windows and doors that should be attended to. You do not want to kill the bugs in your yard, they provide very necessary functions to keep your yard healthy. Ants are your cleaning crew, they dispose of dead things. Earthworms are what make the earth that your garden grows in, and their castings contain an enzyme that repels white flies. Wasps are your predators, they eat the caterpillars that eat your plants. Caterpillars are your butterflies and moths, and they pollinate your flowers so they bloom again next year. Robber flies are your wasp controllers, they keep wasp populations down. Potato bugs, pill bugs, earwigs and click beetles are your compost engineers, they recycle leaf litter and break it down so the earthworms can turn it into healthy soil. Possums are your snail controllers. Garden snails are not native and have no other predator than possums here in California. Spiders are your general insect controllers, you should capture and take outside any that wander into your house. There are many other insects that you will find in your yard as well, but they are all pretty harmless and will avoid you if you just give them time to move out of your way. Your yard is its own ecosystem, with its own checks and balances. Learn to love your bugs, explore them, research them, discover the benefits they give to you and the beauty of your yard. If you get stung by a wasp or bee, or bitten by a mosquito, simply dissolve a real aspirin in your hand with a few drops of water and apply directly to the site, the pain and itch will be gone within a matter of seconds. If you want to help control your mosquitoes, simply place a container of water under a bush which is easily accessible to you and leave it there, check it every day, when you see the larvae swimming around just dump the entire container of water on the ground. The larvae will die. Refill the container. Insure that there is no other standing water on your property. Keep an eye out for Black Widows, they are the only bugs in your yard that can actually harm you. Hope this helps
Sincerely,
Cathy
Thank you Daniel and Lisa, for such a wonderful site! I have it bookmarked and will be back here often!

Giant Swallowtail	Tiger Swallowtail

Hi Cathy,
What a wonderful letter you have written. You have sent in so many images, we really cannot post them all, but we will take the opportunity to make one little identification for you.l You identified two butterflies as a Dark Barred Tiger Swallowtail and a Light Barred Tiger Swallowtail. Only the light one is a Western Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio rutulus. The other is a Giant Swallowtail, Papilio cresphontes. I would also like to comment on two of your comments to Rebecca. First, the ants that plague most Southern Californians are Argentine Ants, Iridomyrmex humilis, an introduced invasive species. They are undesireable aliens that tend to aphids, scales and other plant pests. They are invasive and competitive, and often exterminates native ants when it moves into a new territory. If I could, I would send them all back to Argentina where they must have a natural predator. Also, when you mention that snails have no natural predators in California, you have ingored a wonderful species of Rove Beetle introduced from Europe, the Devil’s Coach Horse. Thank you again for your awesome letter.
Lisa Anne and Daniel

Butterfly Photos and Identification
Hi Bugman!
I was wondering if you could identify these two butterflies for me. They were spotted at the Tyler Arboretum in southeast Pennsylvania . Although I have a healthy fear of most bugs, like most people the sight of a butterfly is a welcome one (and significantly less anxiety-producing!). I am developing a new found respect for bugs through your site though.
Thanks,
Katie Alley

Hi Katie,
Your one butterfly image is of a Greater Fritillary, probably the Aphrodite Fritillary, Speyeria aphrodite.