Pipevine Swallowtail on the Verbena De La Mina

Wow, what luck!

Today in the late afternoon I happened to look out the window at the front yard.

I saw constant fluttering around the Verbena De La Mina shrub, and realized it was a butterfly.

Not having a clue just what kind of butterfly I was observing, I grabbed the camera and clicked away through the window.

Later, when consulting the Field Guide to Butterflies by Arthur M. Shapiro and TImothy D. Manolis, I learned that the butterfly visitor was a female California Pipevine Swallowtail Battus philenor hirsuta.

This is so exciting because it was my very first sighting ever of a California Pipevine, let alone to witness one visiting our garden! They are generally only seen around woodlands, streamsides, woodland edges, and chaparral.

The male Pipevine Swallowtails are brilliant blue in color.

The host plant for these butterflies is the California pipevine Aristolochia californica.

I just wonder if someone in our neighborhood has California pipevine growing in their garden.

I definitely feel honored to have been able to provide this lovely creature with sustenance via the Verbena De La Mina shrub.