Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

Today's rainy condition has forced me to spend my morning in the den. Looking back through my recent photos, this photo of a Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, taken on Wednesday, caught my attention. Jeanette and I had taken Buster for an afternoon walk at Mt. Fir Park in Independence.  Buster, although cooperative in leaving the apartment, and eager to get out of the car, was not much interested in walking.  In fact, he refused to walk, and was only interested in sniffing the first spot of grass we came to.  Bird activity was quiet, so I was kind of stuck.  In looking around for any possible bird activity, this big bright butterfly caught my attention. It was busy in a bramble of blackberries, going from blossom to blossom harvesting nector. Close observers of this photo may notice that the right wing is damaged with a good portion missing. Yet here it is carrying on with its daily life.  Perhaps there is a lesson to learn here, some easy analogies come to mind.  For more images of Western Tiger Swallowtails from the Cascade Ramblings Critters section click here.