Asian swallowtail butterfly on a red spider lily

Let the pollinating games begin!. Asian swallowtail butterfly on a red spider lily

Featured here is the Asian swallowtail, beautifully captured on a red spider lily. Found across Northeast Asia and even parts of Hawaii, this striking butterfly uses its keen colour vision to find flowers, especially those from citrus families. These butterflies mate multiple times over the course of their lives, which contributes to greater genetic diversity among their offspring. During the breeding season, males use a combination of physical displays and visual cues to attract potential mates.

Females, in turn, often mate with several partners. Once mating is complete, they choose egg-laying sites based on habitat quality and food availability. As egg-laying approaches, female butterflies disperse across the landscape, guided by specific environmental signals. Their decisions on how many eggs to deposit in a given area depend on several factors: the condition of the habitat, the number of adult butterflies present, the availability of young leaves, levels of sunlight (with a preference for sunnier spots) and the height of host plants.