A banner year for butterflies in WNY including this rare drifter
By Bob Confer, Follow Exploring the Western NY Wilds on Facebook,
You are likely familiar with swallowtail butterflies. There are a handful of species in Allegany County, the most abundant being the beautiful tiger swallowtail possessed of yellow wings with black tiger stripes.
The rarest of the swallowtails locally is the giant swallowtail. In my outdoors time in Allegany and Niagara Counties I might, if I’m lucky, see one a year. Most years, though, Mother Nature pitches a shutout and I didn’t see any. She served up a grand slam, though, two weeks ago when I saw four of the magnificent butterflies on one hike!
The butterflies are rarely seen because we are at the northernmost part of their range. They are more of a southern species because the preferred food of their caterpillars is citrus trees. They can do some damage to younger trees, defoliating them and causing health and yield issues for the crops. Down south, the destructive caterpillars are commonly known as “orange dogs” or “orange puppies.”
The butterflies can be found here – despite the lack of recognizable citrus trees like oranges, lemons, and limes – because of the presence of prickly ash. Although it looks like an ash, the small tree is actually the northernmost-occurring member of the citrus family. The shrub is locally-abundant in New York — that it is, for the most part it is uncommon, but, when it makes itself known it can create small thickets. That general lack of foodstuff in volume except in very specific locales accounts for the butterfly’s rarity.
Many of the giant swallowtails seen locally could be considered drifters. They fly a great distance away from where they were raised in search of more of the prickly ash, sometimes traveling dozens of miles, and often reaching flights of 150 miles. Those nomadic adults are far less specific in their nutritional needs; they be been seen feeding on the nectar of red clover and Queen Anne’s lace and many other flowers.
It’s something of a miracle that the adults fly as far as they do in search of a new homeland. Their large upper wings are long with a narrow flourish, making for clumsy flight. Those wings also lend themselves to clumsy balance: You will notice that giant swallowtails are nervous-looking when feeding as their wings seem to be in a constant state of vibration. That is done to keep balance, especially on smaller flower heads, so the butterfly doesn’t fall over…and so the bloom doesn’t tip over, either.
As clumsy as those wings may be for general flight, they are custom-made for sailing. As compared to other swallowtails, you will notice the giants have a more leisurely way about them when in the air, flapping a few times then gliding on a light breeze with minimal effort, sometimes traveling more than 5 feet between flaps, which is a significant distance for any butterfly or moth to sail.
Like their name implies, the giant swallowtail is large. It’s wingspan exceeds that of the tiger swallowtail by a half inch to an inch, reaching an impressive spread of six inches. When feeding with wings folded back, you might notice the gorgeous yellow underside. When open, the wings are black with large yellow bands. One might even say those bands create a Cheshire Cat-like smile, as you, with a little imagination, you’ll note in the accompanying photo.
This summer has been the year of the butterflies for me – I’ve seen many species in greater numbers than I have during any summer this century. I hope you’ve had similar experiences and, among them, have a chance to see a giant swallowtail and its whimsical mix of clumsiness and beauty.
Bob Confer is a Western New York naturalist who offers a lifetime of learning with this Exploring the Western NY Wilds column. You can reach him anytime, Bob@ConferPlastics.com
