A Tiger by the Tail

Earlier this summer, blooming Dame's Rocket covered part of the yard at my family's homestead. I know that these flowers are non-native and invasive, but they do seem to be loved by many pollinators. These were also originally planted by my grandmother, so those two things make me smile when I see them, in spite of their invasive status. 

I got down in time to catch the tail end of the blooming, which attracted a huge number of  Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies. I enjoyed wandering around the yard admiring these winged beauties. The butterfly above is a male of the species. Isn't he a strikingly handsome fellow?

 

This one is a female. She's a little smaller, and a bit more muted than her male counterpart. There isn't as much contrast between the black and yellow, but can you see that she has some extra delightful coloration along the base and edges of her wings? There are lovely little blue and orange spots that I hope come through well enough on the picture.

 

Here's the underside. I love the fact that the butterfly's body also has the black and yellow stripes running lengthwise from one end to the other. The tiger name is so appropriate - they've taken the whole stripe theme to delightful heights.