These past few years I've gotten a bit possessive about my "milkweed spot" on Lee Road. That's where I discovered the beautiful Red Milkweed Beetle in 2008 and have loved photographing it every summer. The Showy Milkweed, Asclepias speciosa, attracts many other interesting bugs, and has a beautiful fragrance. Every year, just before the High Sierra Music Festival, people start mowing the roadside weeds and I lose my milkweeds. This year they didn't get them all! I stopped there early Sunday morning to see if I could find the beetles. No beetles, but I encountered a very friendly (i. e., tame) swallowtail butterfly who let me get really close for photos. Here are four views of the Two-tailed Swallowtail, Papilio multicaudatus, on Showy Milkweed. Spend time looking closely at this plant and you'll discover another world. Maybe not every time, but it's worth multiple visits.
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