Black Beauty

I thought I'd seen the last of the big, splashy butterflies this season, so you can imagine how surprised (and thrilled) I was to walk out and find this beauty flitting around my butterfly bush. I believe this is a black swallowtail, the same species that produced the lovely parsley caterpillar from earlier this year. I can't get close enough with this lens to get the level of detail I would have liked, but I like the shot anyway.

My seed feeder continues to draw birds - mostly titmice and nuthatches, a few chickadees and most recently, a couple of American Goldfinches! This photo isn't quite as good as I'd like, but good enough to see the colors. A birder friend says this is either a juvenile, a non-breeding female, or a male in winter plumage.

Feel like I am coming down with a cold, or maybe allergies. Whichever it is, I feel blah. So, early to bed tonight.