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With a wingspan of up to 5 1/2 inches and black-rimmed, bright yellow wings covered in a tiger-stripe pattern, this is one of the easier butterflies to identify. It’s active from spring to fall and mainly likes woodlands.
Unlike its aforementioned cousins, the giant swallowtail is black with some yellow (rather than yellow with some black). The males can acquire a wingspan of almost 7 1/2 inches!
Plenty of butterflies have evolved to look like dead foliage when they’re at rest, but the question mark (Polygonia interrogationis) is particularly well-camouflaged. When it opens its wings, though, prepare for an explosion of beautiful orange-reddish tones.
Look at the wings when they’re closed: the small spot that gives these species their names is uninterrupted in the comma. In the question mark, it has a tiny separated dot—like a question mark, get it?
One butterfly that’s particularly easy to identify is the white admiral. Its black wings with striking white bands make it pretty hard to miss! When the wings are closed, bands of orange spots become visible on the edges.
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