by Alex Kunce

No matter where you live, you have probably crossed paths with a butterfly, in some way or another. No, they don’t live in Antarctica, but wherever one may choose to look, in most moderate climates, the beautiful butterfly is most likely somewhere nearby. Because of their elegant wings and dazzling colors, butterflies are a favorite of many people. But how well do we really know these lovely Lepidoptera?

One day, my mom and I caught sight of a very peculiar butterfly fluttering over my sister’s window box. This was not one of the interesting but ordinary specimens that usually come around our house. We did some research and found that it was called a Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes), thanks to our butterfly identification book*. We saw this fascinating specimen multiple times again drinking from our flowers, and it sparked an idea for a project.

Butterflies move quickly and it is a challenging feat to catch one. In fact, the one that we observed didn’t hold still long enough to even capture a photo. So, to do you the favor of needing to hunt one down or search around the vast internet to find some facts, I present you with,

THE ANATOMY OF A BUTTERFLY:

For the project, I used colored pencils to illustrate the butterfly. After scanning it in I used Adobe Illustrator to add labels and a decorative header. I hope to use this as a poster entry in our local county fair.

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* Identified using: Smithsonian Handbooks: Butterflies and Moths by David Carter. 1992, 2002. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London.