Black Swallowtail Butterfly Pink Echinacea Flowers Postcard

A lovely female black swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes) with wings partly spread is drinking nectar from the flowers of pink echinacea (Echinacea purpurea). Female swallowtails are usually bigger then males and have more blue markings on the inner wings, and paler yellow dot pattern. The outer wings are about the same for male or female, and both genders also have the orange, black and white lower wing markings that look like eyes. This pretty butterfly gets its common name from the long tail-like extensions of the wings. Black swallowtails have graceful delicate antennae, markings of orange, blue and yellow on the wings. Butterflies have taste buds on their feet, so they can sample or verify the flower before having a drink. The black swallowtail is a New World butterfly. Its range goes from southern Canada down though the United States, Mexico, Central to South America. This fabulous butterfly is at about the north-most part of her range, in southern Quebec Canada. Papilio polyxenes is named for Polyxena, youngest daughter of the king of Troy, whose brother is slain by Achilles. If you follow Greek myth at all you know that Achilles was under strong magical protection but his heel was a secret vulnerability. Hence we speak of an Achilles' heel when someone has a weakness. Eventually he began to trust Polyxena and told her about it, and she quickly got one of her brothers, the Trojan prince Paris, to shoot him in the heel with a poison arrow, in the temple of Apollo, the Sun God. By all accounts, Apollo was on their side. So that was the end of Achilles and his heel. The flowers pictured here are Echinacea purpurea (aka hedgehog coneflower, purple coneflower, crazy pink echinacea, eastern purple coneflower) which is not only a beautiful flowering plant but is considered to have bronchial health properties - for example in 2016 a study found that products containing echinacea had little effect, but extracts from the flower itself are shown to reduce respiratory infections. This design is great for anyone who loves butterflies, flowers, nature scenes, beneficial plants, wildlife and the amazing world of insects. In spirituality, a butterfly can be a spirit guide or totem animal. Butterflies represent the arts such as visual arts, poetry or dance; travel, happiness, freedom, the power of light and the sun. In some cultures they are considered to be wandering souls, and it's unlucky to harm them. Photo taken in early July by M Sylvia Chaume, Canada. Happy Blessings!