Black Swallowtail Butterfly Pink Echinacea Flowers Postcard

This is a female black swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes), drinking nectar and collecting pollen, which she transfers to other plants of the same species. These bold flowers are pink echinacea or coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), and this picture was taken in early July in a little park in Vieux Hull (Gatineau) Quebec, Canada. If you want to change the text, you can do it in the personalise option on the product page. This makes a super quebec or canadian souvenir or keepsake. The wings of this butterfly are open wide, showing her colours and pattern. Male and female swallowtails are similar in appearance; females tend to be larger than males and have more blue markings on the inner wings. The outer wings are about the same in both male and female. The swallowtail gets its common name from the long tail-like extensions at the ends of its wings, and its Latin name from Polyxena of Greek myth, the youngest daughter of the King of Troy. Her brother was murdered by notorious Trojan war hero Achilles. Polyxena was an intelligent young woman, which impressed Achilles, and eventually he trusted her enough to tell her his secret - due to some beneficial magic he was invincible except for one heel. Polyxena sent her brothers Paris and Deiphobus to ambush him in the temple of the sun god Apollo (who apparently was on their side) and shoot him in the heel with a poisoned arrow. And that was the end of Achilles. This cheerful butterfly has a striking pattern of yellow spots on her wings, blue on the lower wings and two spots of black, orange and white, also on the lower wings, resembling eyes. Both males and females have these markings; females tend to have more blue and paler yellow on the inner wings. A New World butterfly, this pretty lady is at about the northern most part of her range, in southern Quebec Canada. The black swallowtail is the state butterfly of Oklahoma and New Jersey in the United States. The flowers in this photo are Echinacea purpurea (aka eastern purple coneflower, hedgehog coneflower, purple coneflower, crazy pink echinacea) which may have some health properties - a 2016 study found that products containing the plant had little effect, but extracts of the plant itself are shown to reduce respiratory infections. This design is great for anyone who loves butterflies, flowers, medicinal plants, parks and natural settings, nature and wildlife, greek myth trivia, and the amazing world of flying insects. In spirituality, a butterfly can appear to you as an animal spirit guide. Butterflies represent the arts such as visual arts, poetry or dance; travel, romance, happiness, freedom, the power of light and the sun. In some cultures butterflies are considered to be wandering souls, and it's unlucky to harm them. This photo was taken in the summer, early July, by M Sylvia Chaume, Canada. Happy Blessings!