VIEWPOINT: Stories of Queen Pages in the Shuswap

I remember finding a dead Queen Butterfly a long time ago and keeping it in a small cardboard box for years.

To me this Eastern Queen Swallowtail was a beautiful winged gem, in yellow, with black tiger stripes and small but striking, delicate windows of blue and orange.

I have long since lost the box, but every time I see a Queen Butterfly visiting the flower beds in the Shuswap I am reminded of this gem of nature.

Given their large size (our swallowtails are our largest butterflies) and striking markings, they are one of the most recognizable butterflies in British Columbia. But what many people don’t realize is that we have at least eight species of swallowtails here – more swallowtails than any other province in Canada.

On a recent birdwatching trip along Salmon Arm Quay, I nearly stumbled upon a swallowtail butterfly taking a big swig of nectar from a flower in one of the park’s beautiful gardens. I quickly switched from birdwatching to butterflywatching, taking a few photos in the hope of capturing the markings that would help me identify the species. Luckily, the swallowtail butterfly cooperated (for a few seconds) and I had a photo that revealed I was looking at a new species of swallowtail butterfly!

Swallowtails generally have distinctive little “tails” on the trailing edges of their hind (lower) wings. These protrusions are reminiscent of the long tails we’ve all seen on barn swallows in flight, hence the butterfly’s name: swallowtail. This photo has become my new little treasure. It showed two protruding tails with a yellowish-white edge on each hind wing, making it a double-tailed swallowtail.

Like all butterflies, the two-tailed swallowtail butterfly goes through four life stages: egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adult butterfly. As we watch the adults fly from flower to flower, they are searching for a mate—either by sight or smell. After mating, the females lay their fertilized eggs on plants that become a food source for their little chicks. The caterpillars of the two-tailed swallowtail butterfly feed on the leaves of various plants, including willow and cottonwood—both common along the shores of Shuswap Lake. Eventually, the caterpillar pupates and through the magic of metamorphosis emerges as an adult swallowtail butterfly. It used to be quite fashionable to have a collection of immaculately arranged pinned butterflies—specimens of beauty and scientific value. Today, butterfly watching and photographing are much more sedate pursuits.

I have found that with the same telephoto lens I use for birdwatching, combined with patience, I can take photos without disturbing a feeding butterfly. I even take many photos with the wings open and closed so I can see the patterns on the top and bottom. These photos have become my “specimens” that I can compare to the illustrations in my favorite field guide, Butterflies of British Columbia (Acorn and Sheldon, 2006, Lone Pine Publishing). Any binoculars that are suitable for birdwatching are also great for butterfly watching. And the best part is that you can often view several species of butterflies, including swallowtails, in your own backyard from the comfort of a lawn chair!