Giant Swallowtail Butterfly gathering nectar from the Smooth Phlox in Waukesha County Wisconsin on August 8, 2017

I saw a Giant Swallowtail in the yard hovering around the native Smooth Phlox this afternoon. I went out and took a few images of this stunning butterfly in action going from plant to plant gathering nectar. One thing to note is that the wings on this species never stop fluttering when they are gathering nectar from plant blooms. This is Wisconsin’s largest butterfly. Images were taken on August 8, 2017.

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly

Binomial name: Papilio cresphontes

Wingspan: Can sometimes exceed 5″

Note: Wisconsin’s largest butterfly

The legs of the butterfly hold the butterfly in place and help balance it while the nectar gathering takes place…

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Window to Wildlife features the photography of Jim Edlhuber. A lifelong native of Wisconsin, Jim has been photographing wildlife for 20 years. He considers himself an avid photographer and is always trying to capture nature and wildlife through his lens. He is in several photography clubs and has won numerous awards for his work. In recent years, Jim has focused mostly on birding photography and finds it to be the most challenging.

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