Last week saw an absolutely wonderful change in the weather. Gone were the days of oppressive humidity and scorching temperatures. In their place came days of highs of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, lower humidity, and a reliable breeze that seemed to breathe some life back into things. I’ve been heading to the Thinking Chair almost every morning when I’m home, but then looking for a change of weather during the day. Last week, however, I’ve found great joy in staying outside all day.

I was even faced with the urge to get out and explore. I had seen a lot of my own backyard over the past two months and decided it was time to take my camera along for the ride and see something different. So I headed out to one of our wonderful state parks to see what else there was to see. I was not disappointed. I parked my car and walked the short distance to a large, regularly mowed area of ​​grass.

Due to the scorching heat of the last few weeks, the lawn was relatively short, but the odd wildflower had grown a little taller than the grass. A butterfly landed on one of these striking flowers (a knapweed flower to be precise). Nikonus and Iso had smiled on me once again, and when they saw that I was actually making an effort, they sent me this butterfly as a reward. It landed on a flower about 3.6 meters away, just outside the minimum focusing distance of my large lens. Jackpot!

I noticed immediately that it was a black butterfly, clearly part of the swallowtail group. The butterfly landed and spread its wings, allowing me to get a great photo of what I will call the “tip” of the wings. The butterfly then moved around the flower, flapping its wings and giving a glimpse of the “underside” of the wings, but never paused with its wings spread, so I don’t have a good photo of them. You’ll notice I’m being a bit informal here, so I should probably explain myself.

In the world of insects in general and butterflies in particular, the vocabulary required to accurately describe different body parts is very complicated. Wings are made up of several parts and butterflies have two pairs of wings, so the different parts must be described very precisely to avoid confusion. The problem is this: if you don’t know the vocabulary, there will be nothing but confusion.

Here’s an example: Back home after my safari, I opened my copy of Butterflies Through Binoculars and began identifying my butterfly. I had already mentioned that it was a black butterfly from the swallowtail group, and I was amused to find out that the official name of this particular species was Black Swallowtail (Papilopolyxenes). Also, it was obviously a male Black Swallowtail, but let me repeat some of the technical terms from the book: “Note also that the yellow spots on the posterior medial and marginal margins of the butterfly extend to the costal margin.” Yuck.

Basically, this is a Black Swallowtail because it has two rows of yellow spots that extend to the leading edge (the costal margin) of the wings. This is a male of the species, as the yellow spots are quite conspicuous. You’ll also notice some lovely splashes of blue on the lower part of the wings. If this were a female, the yellow spots would be much smaller and the blue spots much larger. Taxonomists and professional entomologists may need the fancy jargon, but those of us who see the occasional butterfly can be a little more relaxed with our language.

The Black Swallowtail can have two to three broods per year in the northern parts of its range, so adults of this species are easy to find for most of the summer. This species benefits from mowing by humans and is particularly fond of clover as a source of nectar. It is also known to enjoy “hilltopping,” which is exactly what it sounds like. These butterflies like to seek out open areas on hill and mountain tops. While visiting such places, these butterflies mostly stay close to the ground, which is convenient for photographers.

We are in the middle of the breeding season of the third group of adults and they should be visible until mid-September. That should give you enough motivation to go on your own butterfly safari and see if you can spot this beautiful insect. So grab your binoculars and a companion and get outside. The second half of August offers wonderful weather and it would be a shame to miss it.

Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 27 years. He has worked for the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Nature Conservancy, and Massachusetts State Parks, and currently teaches high school biology and physics. For more information, visit his website at www.speakingofnature.com or find Speaking of Nature on Facebook.