Applegater Summer 2018
13
BIRD EXPLORER
Migrating Neotropical birds
BY PETER J. THIEMANN
As of May, Bird Month, most winter
guests left for breeding grounds up north
or inland and the Neotropicals arrived with
a splash of exotic colors.
As vegetation greens and trees flower,
myriads of insects are available for food—
bird life is good. Some Neotropicals, such
as the Wilson’s and Nashville warblers,
will nest in our area. Others will continue
moving north. With all the new greenery,
colorful birds are easier to see and enjoy.
Black-headed grosbeaks, with males
in stunning colors, are establishing their
breeding territories in big-leaf maple and
Pacific madrone trees. They came all the
way from Central America, where they
spend the winter. Then, in willows near
water, there are flashes of bright yellow
Wilson’s Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Multiple tails
BY LINDA KAPPEN
The Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail
(Papilio multicaudata) is in the butterfly
family Papilionidae and is Arizona’s
official state butterfly. This butterfly
ranges throughout the Pacific Northwest
and to the south throughout the west.
The scientific name, multicaudata, means
multiple tails.
The Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail is the
second largest butterfly in North America
and the largest throughout the Pacific
Northwest. It can reach wingspreads of
up to five inches. This swallowtail is a
brighter, warmer yellow than the similar
species, Western Tiger Swallowtail. The
wing borders of the two-tailed are black
with the tiger stripes noticeably narrower.
Tiger Swallowtail ventral view
birds: the Wilson’s and Nashville warblers,
the yellow warblers, and the secretive
yellow-breasted chat. Yellow-rumped
warblers are mostly moving on to places
farther north, using our area for refueling.
Don’t expect these birds to sit still for
long, except when singing from a treetop.
To capture a photographic image of these
small birds, patience and skill is needed.
The hind wing has two tails rather than
one and a very faint third. On the open
wing, the butterfly displays metallic blue
patches around posterior orange spots on
the hind wing.
The Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail
lives and flies in canyons, shrub lands,
watercourses, parks, and natural areas.
They can be seen on the wing from March
to mid-September. Host plants for this
swallowtail are mainly western chokecherry
(Prunus virginiana var. demissa). The larvae
overwinter. Adults will nectar on larkspurs,
thistles, teasel, knapweed, scarlet gilia, to
name just a few.
The Papilio multicaudata is an amazing
butterfly to see flying above dirt roads next
to creeks. Its shadow
passes over your
head quickly, but
you may be lucky
to get a glimpse of it
before it disappears
around a corner.
We c r e a t e d
a Swallowtail
Butterfly Garden at
Applegate School.
Years went by, and
our chokecherr y
grew larger. One
day after school we
found eggs of the
two-tailed on the
chokecherry shrub. We took the eggs inside
and reared them in the butterfly lab (aka
the art room). Being rewarded this way
from our butterfly habitat at the school was
a pretty good feeling. It shows that planting
native shrubs and other native plants for
Tiger Swallowtail dorsal view
Peter J. Thiemann
But the rewards
are many—it will
lift your spirits to see these exotic creatures
that have come such a long way to enrich
your day. Enjoy!
Peter J. Thiemann
peterjthiemann@yahoo.com
Photos courtesy of Peter J. Thiemann
flickr photo stream.
Warbling Vireo
our butterflies and other pollinators is a
great thing to consider when planning
your garden.
Linda Kappen
humbugkapps@hotmail.com
Photos by Linda Kappen.