Now your heart can't help skip a beat when you stand up to stretch the back
from weeding and a Giant Swallowtail comes in and starts feeding on red
lantana right by you. Back does not hurt anymore! Yes, the shoot and pray is
in the left pocket. Battery full charged. Then some 55 images later... You
might remember the July 1 attempt at the first for the Manor for the season,
a slightly blurry flight shot, eerie, but identifiable. Since then, the
Giant Swallowtail has graced the Manor on July 4, 7, 17, and 27, for a total
of five dates in July. Today is the longest, four minutes and at times just
a couple of feet away. Red lantana was the flower of choice though it
nectared briefly on Early Coreopsis and yellow lantana, it always went back
to red lantana and stayed. On the images attached, be sure and take the
whole depth of North America's largest butterfly.
The Giant Swallowtail is a species that I have seen at the Manor a few
times in previous years, and one also seen at my parent's former home in
Green Hills in Nashville about seven miles away. Both are residential sites,
the Manor being urban residential. When viewing the counties that the
species has been detected in Tennessee, it is surprising to see that it has
been recorded in only 19 of the 95 counties or 20%--West-Decatur;
Middle-Davidson, DeKalb, Montgomery, Pickett, Putnam, Rutherford, Stewart,
Sumner, Trousdale, White, Williamson, and Wilson; East-Hamilton, Hancock,
Marion, Polk, Sevier, and Sullivan. BAMONA,
<http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1366>
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1366, details the range as, "
Throughout eastern North American west to the Rocky Mountains, south through
the desert Southwest to South American. A rare stray to Quebec, North
Dakota, and Bermuda." From the map, in many areas the species presence is
solid. When comparing the location of the counties that the species has been
seen in Tennessee with the rest of the species range, other surprises
appear. The only West Tennessee county is Decatur, a county at the eastern
edge of this region. However, go next door to Missouri and Arkansas and most
of the western counties of those states that border Tennessee have recorded
the species. Steve said, "Giants are notoriously difficult to get an image
of, so you did well to get what you got. If they weren't so flighty, they
would be listed in twice as many counties for BAMONA as they are." That may
be so. But, let's look at the observations on Steve's FOY charts for 2008
and 2009. In 2009, there were three counties that are listed and in 2009
four counties (at least so far in 2009). Even if a photo is not obtained and
Steve believes the record, it is listed. So I can only assume that there
were only three records reported in 2008 and four so far in 2009. In 2008,
the species was reported in Hamilton, Rutherford, and Williamson; and in
2009 (so far) in Davidson, Hamilton, Stewart, and White. Now there are
active observers across the state where the species has not been recorded,
leaving me wondering why. Do you have a record in a county not listed due to
lack of photo? Also, your thoughts on why the species appears not to be more
prevalent throughout the state. Cheers to the Giant Swallowtail.
Michael Lee Bierly, Nashville, Davidson County, TN
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Giant Swallowtail (1) 07-27-09 KM (800).jpg
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Giant Swallowtail (2) 07-27-09 KM (800).jpg
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Giant Swallowtail (3) 07-27-09 KM (800).jpg
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Giant Swallowtail (4) 07-27-09 KM (800).jpg
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