Let us continue yesterday’s theme (of beautiful butterflies) one day more. I found this stunning Black Swallowtail while birding the Beanery in Cape May. On the way in it eluded me, flitting from clover to clover ever deeper into the field of tall grass where I was not following for fear of the voracious Cape May ticks. But on the way out, it lit just far enough from the mowed path so that I could reach it with my Canon at the long end of the zoom plus 2x digital tel-extender. Nice!

The Black Swallowtail is not an uncommon butterfly, occurring over most of North America, but this is only maybe the second I have seen, and my first photographs.

Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation.  Both at 1344mm equivalent field of view (using the 2x digital tel-extender). 1) f5.8 @ 1/500th @ ISO 200. 2) f5.8 @ 1/200th @ ISO 125.

Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.