A Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly checking out the Azalea blooms, first the inside.

Then the middle.

Finally the outside.

Then he was gone.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 14, 2022
A Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly checking out the Azalea blooms, first the inside.
Then the middle.
Finally the outside.
Then he was gone.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 14, 2022
Called a hummingbird moth because it drinks nectar, I believe this is a Nessus Sphinx Moth, per insectidentification.org/
It’s a bit different than any I’ve seen before, including that fuzzy looking tail end.
It was pretty intent on feeding, but the moth occasionally lifted above the blossoms for a look around, showing off his two yellow stripes.
Azaleas have been outdoing themselves the last couple weeks here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. I was pleased to find these two Azalea blossom groupings standing away from the crowd.
These were in a hedge that was left more natural, which I generally prefer over the precisely manicured way.
A Great Blue Heron was stalking in chest high, to him, Iris fronds, at one of the small ponds at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. A few blooming Azaleas can be seen in the background.
I moved right, the GBH moved left, and briefly got him lined up with the color.
The Great Blue kept on moving down into the water giving me a different perspective of the pink reflections.
March 23, 2021
Azaleas have been planted all around the swamp, many of them bloom off and on through the summer, despite the heat. This reddish colored one was a perfect complement to a Swallowtail Butterfly.
The flowers must have been providing some nourishment as the Butterfly kept going around the bush.
He went deep into each blossom, his head disappearing behind the petals.
Then he gracefully backed out before moving on.