We've had lots of different butterflies in the garden this summer, including this Red-spotted Purple. Our Nature Guide Jon told me that hungry birds get confused by this butterfly because it resembles the Pipevine Swallowtail and they don't like the way that butterfly tastes. That's good news for these mimics. But it's not just the birds who get confused. To me, Red-spotted Purples look like several other swallowtails, but without the tails. And the name confuses me, too. I suggested to Jon that they might more accurately be called Orange-spotted Blues. For the record, Nature Guide wasn't buying it.
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