Swallowtail Papilio machaon ssp gorganus
In the left hand photo we actually caught this butterfly in a black net but using Photoshop I've managed to allow it it to escape to a different part of Spain an settle on some Coris monspeliensis for contrast - which of course it doesn't usually use either as a food plant or for nectaring.
The right hand photo isn't particularly good but was taken using a macro lens on a butterfly which was some distance away - see below.
Our British Swallowtail ssp britannicus isn't found on the continent and the continental sub species only very occasionally flies in Britain on the south coast so these must be ssp gorganus but the differences are quite small.
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| Swallowtail Papilio machaon ssp gorganus | Swallowtail Papilio machaon ssp gorganus in the distance |
LHS: Roadside Cabo de Gata, Spain 20th March 2007 RHS: Near Claut, Dolomites, Italy 26th June 2014
Added on 28th February 2008, updated 27th June & November 6th 2008, updated 8th June 2010, updated 11th July 2014