managed to get two in one shot...

thats a great photo Lori, added to favorites : )

Thanks Stevie! The lilac smells so sweet it draws them in...there were bumblebees foraging too...they were huge! and I got a pic of a much smaller brown butterfly which I haven't id'd yet...I was barbequeing and had to time my dashes to the lilac between flipping the chops! lol...

swallowtails on lilac, it's a smashing combination Lori. And you were 'chop flipping' at the same time - - -skill ;-)

LOL... definitely Bampy! <> Don't know how good you can get until *^* you try! hehe...supposed to be starry eyes and halo...oh well, I'll stick to gardening.

Beautiful! They bring something extra to the gardens, our little short-lived friends! I delight in seeing them in the yard, and these photos of them are great, Lori!

Thanks Grammazoo... being new to this area..I'm not sure if this is normal or not?! There are so many swallowtails and I've only seen one or two monarchs. Weather has been crazy.

Gorgeous photo, Lori, made me smile. :)

They are HUGE! They look the same size as a small bird.

Yes . . . and they are wonderful to see "in the flesh" Tet. We are lucky enough to be not far from Butterfly World, near St Albans, where you can see fantastic tropical butterflies in a special polytunnel.

Fantastic!! Lori, can you blow harder towards Scotland please? We're getting that awful weather you had a couple of weeks ago....can we get this kind soon please? lol x

Like everything else, Tetra, they vary a certain amount in size but these two had a wingspan of about 4 inches...lovely creatures! I believe that there are now a number of "butterfly houses" at various zoos and arboretums here in Canada, Sheila. Such a wonderful idea, wonder why it took so long to catch on?
LOL...Karen, we never know what to expect from one day to the next, it seems. You're not getting more of the terrible winds are you? It's hot here today with large "icecream castle" clouds and just enough breeze to keep the bugs at bey. Hope it gets to you soon...our postal service is on strike so you may have to wait just a little longer....
<>
*^* !!!

Yes, looking at the rest of the week forecast, it seems that delivery is delayed! :(

wow they look huge and soo pretty..:-)

They are beautiful things, Sandra. And they are common to this area in the early summer...the most common butterfly in the area is the monarch and because of all the unsettled weather between us and Mexico we have had very few sightings of monarchs...saw one today and we had frost last night. hope he hurries on his way back to the balmy southland...winter is hovering in the background waiting to descend on us... brrr...and it's only mid Sept!