Parnassius Clodius

"Stay there until I get back!" I ran into the house as quickly as I could manage, grabbed the camera and started adjusting settings on my way back out through the kitchen door. Whatever this butterfly was, it certainly wasn't a Swallowtail. Had I ever seen one before? Possibly, but I couldn't recall the name. Fortunately, it was still enjoying the milkweed when I returned, but it was being very reluctant to open its wings for a portrait. However, that gave me the opportunity to observe two orange spots on the underside of the wings which, if you look carefully, can be seen through the semi-transparent forewing on the left in the image. The transparent nature of the wing is not due to worn scales as I initially assumed. It is typical of the Parnassians, in this case, Parnassius clodius. Fortune favoured me, and my visitor spread its wings before fluttering off to the woods. Yes, I had recorded the species once before in my yard, but it was still a thrill to see another one. My milkweed garden is paying bonuses!

Parnassius Clodius, Mated Female

Day 281: All right, class, settle down. Today, we will be venturing into the somewhat embarrassing subject of how to tell girls from boys, i.e., "the birds and the bees" as it relates to the peculiar anatomy of the Clodius Parnassian butterfly (Parnassius clodius). Our specimen here is not perched on a nodding flower. The hollow, keel-like white structure you see beneath the black body is called the "sphragis," and originates as a gelatinous secretion deposited by the male during mating. This secretion hardens into a plug which prevents sperm from escaping the female's body, giving much better odds for reproductive success. Parnassians are one of the few families of butterfly which exhibit this unusual anatomical characteristic.