Vernonia and Tiger Swallowtail

I haven't seen too many butterflies yet this summer, aside from skippers and cabbage whites. 

Happily, we saw a newly emerged Monarch nectaring on a Cosmos in a pocket planting nearby yesterday.

This evening, there were two Tiger Swallowtails visiting the Vernonia looking robust, to the left of the Ozark witch hazel.

Tiger swallowtail on Vernonia

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Nectaring after the rain

front meadow planting

An exceptionally rainy spell (three+ days) finally broke, with bright sunshine late this afternoon.

Tiger swallowtail and bumblebee (notice how battered the flowers are!)

The swallowtail just kept working the flowers!

A tiger swallowtail was taking advantage of the dry weather to get some serious nectaring done. This individual spent almost 15 minutes working on a flower spike of this Liatris, supported from flopping by a green plant stake.

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