Giant swallowtail butterflies (Papilio cresphontes) have been visiting my garden for about a month. They stop briefly, really more of a genuflect, to nectar and then float off to someone else's yard. The one in this photo spiraled around the back yard for several minutes, flirting with the kumquat tree, sniffing at the rue, then briefly touching down on the lantana. This is the best photo I could get. I have planted some more rue (ruta graveolens) to try and make my yard a more attractive egg-laying site. A good place to get rue (and other herbs) is from the farmers market. The vendor there had 4" plants at a price of 3 for $5, which compares very favorably with the garden centers, one of which asked $9 for a 1 gallon plant.
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