Butterfly Love

It was a super busy but wonderful weekend.  My plans went as expected, just not in the same order. Saturday was shopping and visiting with family while Sunday was yard work- well, some yard work. I'm so easily distracted from gardening and outdoor chores when there's wildlife activity going on around me.  Like Sunday when I noticed a couple of Spicebush Swallowtail butterflies courting- I stopped what I was doing to observe their behavior (the first time I've seen butterflies courting).

The two of them fluttered across my back yard, making brief stops along the way.  When the female rested upon a flower, the male fluttered just inches above her. In a rhythmic display of wings and attraction, the butterflies ascended in circles around each other, drawing closer to a pinnacle where their wings lightly touched.  The female then retreated and flew away with the male close behind her. Their typical courting behavior went on for several minutes before they both suddenly disappeared. Perhaps they ventured off into the woods for more privacy...

This was a pretty neat "nature lesson"- I enjoyed watching their beautiful wings rapidly flutter back and forth and their aerial dance just above the flowers.  Please excuse the blurry photos- I forgot to put my camera setting on "Action".  

I hope you enjoyed this series of courting butterflies :)    Wishing you a wonderful day!