Another day on the Lot brought yet another opportunity to ID a new insect. This is the first time I noticed this type of butterfly visiting the garden. It was checking out the swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). It was quite large and reminded me of tiger swallowtail butterfly, probably because of the pale yellow and brown coloring.

I began my search with swallowtails in a Michigan Butterflies book I’d received at a conference this past March. Soon I found Papilio cresphontes, or the Giant Swallowtail.I believe this may be the type of butterfly pictured here. The features separating this butterfly from the other swallowtails is the large area of brown and diagonal bands of yellow spots on upper side of the wings.

The guide did not list the swamp milkweed as a food source, but did list a favored nectar source as butterfly bush (Buddleja) as well as joe pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum). Both of those plants are on the same side of the garden as the milkweed plant it was investigating.

I wish I would have gotten a better shot of the back edges of the wings to be sure. The flight time is supposed to be from end of April to beginning of October. Hopefully I will see one again and can get better pictures to make sure my shot at ID’ing it is correct.