Zebra Swallowtail

Cabbage White butterfly feeding at thistle

I caught just a glimpse of her,
skipping boldly through the field
on the long, striped wings I have waited for.

Coneflower in garden

But today, I cannot find her,
though at every other flower and stem,
wings lay open,
hungry mouths feed.

Skipper feeding at teasel

Little Wood-Satyr on goldenrod stem

I hope she will remember me,
the Paw-Paws planted,
just as she likes them,
in the shaded grove.

Three small trees.

Paw paws planted

Zebra Swallowtail, Eurytides marcellus

Just as Monarchs go with milkweed, so, too, do Zebra Swallowtails and the Paw-Paw tree.
As wooded areas are cleared, this native understory tree is often lost.
In April, hoping to attract Zebra Swallowtail butterflies, I planted 3 small trees.

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It's all about diversity

A Zebra Swallowtail--not unusual, by any means.
Yet, in our woods, rare.
A treasure to find, a fleeting moment--sipping moisture from sand at a nearby lake.



And I wondered why it is I seldom see one.
In our sprawling fields of wildflowers and dense oak and hickory woods.
For we have so many others that choose to visit our growing, green space.

Yet, as much as we have, something is missing.
A Pawpaw tree--the single plant that this butterfly feeds upon as a caterpillar.
With long, draping leaves and a crooked spindly stem,
others are far more lovely.

For as I may not miss its graceless presence in these woods, its absence means the world to a butterfly.

It is believed that the Paw Paw has disappeared from much of its natural US habitat due to the harvesting of virgin forests. Paw Paw seedlings are sensitive to ultraviolet light, and do not re-establish themselves once the forest has been clear cut.
More info here.

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