Tiger swallowtail butterfly

I don't see this beauty often.  In fact in recent years I have seen it once only, but this year, for some reason, I'm seeing Tiger Swallowtails where ever I go.  I must say that I'm extremely pleased by that fact, because it seems to me I recall someone telling me years ago that these butterflies were endangered, although I will have to find out if that is actually true.

Tiger swallowtail hovering

Tiger Swallowtail lift-off

Butterflies are somewhat more difficult to photograph than birds, I find anyway, because their flight pattern is extremely erratic.  After several attempts, spaced out of the period of a week, I was lucky enough to come across this one taking water from the ground, near a puddle.  It settled on the ground long enough for me to get these photos, and then settled again on a bush nearby for a couple of seconds.

Brief display of wings

In any case, I was so excited to get photos of this beauty that I couldn't resist sharing them.

Tiger Swallowtail at rest

Although I won't pretend to know which exact species of Tiger Swallowtail this is, as there are several, I'm guessing it is the Canadian species.  I have yet to do any kind of research on this butterfly beyond the basics.  So I definitely need to learn how to tell once species of Tiger Swallowtail from another.  If you have any knowledge in this regard please feel free to share in the comment section below this post.

Enjoy,
Susan