The Mocker Swallowtail Butterfly

by Kathy White

Title

The Mocker Swallowtail Butterfly

Artist

Kathy White

Medium

Photograph - Photography--greeting Cards Or Notes Are Cheaper By The Dozen!

Description

I photographed this butterfly in Branson, Missouri at the Butterfly Palace. They have butterflies brought in by the thousands for their festive Christmas flight. Their Christmas festivities feature only white variations of tropical butterflies and they call it White Flight. It is really beautiful! I have never seen so many butterflies in one place before....a beautiful tropical setting.
Complete with a live 18-foot tall Poinsettia Christmas Tree, Living Statues of Angels, and traditional holiday music to fill the soul, White Flight at The Butterfly Palace is a unique holiday exhibit. It was the first time I have ever had a butterfly land on me. Of course, we snapped a photo...or two. They also have butterfly benches for photo ops, under that giant Poinsettia tree.
I searched the butterfly sites to try to find out the name of this particular butterfly. I was really having trouble identifying it. I went back to the Butterfly Palace's site and someone had taken a photo of a butterfly just like this and they identified it as a "Mocker Swallowtail Butterfly".
What I found said that Females of this species have a high degree of wing polymorphisms. This species is often cited as a great example of Batesian Mimicry as they share color patterns with several distasteful butterflies.
Papilio dardanus, is an African butterfly with several common names including
the flying handkerchief and the mocker swallowtail.
It has been called “the most interesting butterfly in the world”. The female of the species is a master of protective disguise. The female forms are remarkably diverse and mimic other butterflies, so protecting themselves against predators. I guess that is why it was so hard to find a photo of a butterfly that looked just like this one. Maybe it's female!
The Butterfly Palace is perfect for tropical butterflies because the atmosphere was definitely tropical and a bit on the humid side. Wear short sleeves. LOL
If you are ever in Branson, Missouri at Christmas time, check out the White Flight at the Butterfly Palace & Rainforest Adventure attraction....it is well worth it and a great experience, especially for butterfly lovers like me!

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February 13th, 2013

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