Swallowtail - a butterfly belonging to the order Lepidoptera, a family of sailboats. This rare species of butterflies (Papilio machaon) is now listed in the Red Book. More recently, swallowtail was considered one of the most common butterflies in Europe, and today it is on the verge of extinction. In total, there are about 550 species of this family in the world fauna.
Carl Linney gave the name to this butterfly in honor of the doctor Machaon, a hero of the Trojan War, who saved and alleviated the suffering of Roman soldiers. Swallowtail butterfly, whose photo can be seen not only in the encyclopedia, but also in the form of jewelry and souvenirs), is considered one of the most beautiful butterflies in Europe. The bizarre shape of the wings, their original contrast and brightness, piercingly bright colors, pronounced ornamental design, and a swift flight in the manner of a bird make this butterfly unique.
The reasons for the reduction of the species is the destruction of its habitats, as well as amateur trapping. The traditional habitat is the Palearctic region from Russia to Japan, as well as Canada and Alaska, the alpine plains of the Himalayas. Distributed in Europe, especially in the UK (in the swamps of East Anglia). Prefers open spaces.
Swallowtail butterfly flies depending on the place of residence at an altitude of 2 to 4.5 thousand meters. On average, it makes 2-3 masonry per year on umbrella plants (parsley, dill, caraway seeds).
Caterpillars (green with red dots and transverse black stripes) appear after 7 days. They grow until mid-summer, then become heavy and clumsy, hardly eat, attach head down to the stem of the plant - and turn into a green-brown pupa, which overwinters at this stage. Departure of the first generation takes place in May-June, the second - in August.
A swallowtail butterfly flies on glades, edges, meadows and in vegetable gardens. She is almost tireless, rarely sits for a long time, often flaps her wings while eating. It feeds on flowers, feed plants for it are parsley, fennel and other umbrella.
Today you can meet such a butterfly quite rarely. Measures for the protection of the species (regulation of chemical treatments, prohibition of collecting, conservation of their habitats) are not taken.
Swallowtail butterfly is quite large (70-90 millimeters). The wings are yellow, with curved moon-shaped spots along the edge and a black longitudinal stripe. The root region of the front wings is black with a yellow coating. The hind wings have an elongated black “tail” with yellow-blue spots. In the corners of the wings there is a contrasting red-brown “eye”.
The coloring of the upper and lower sides of the wings is similar, they look slightly lighter from below. If the butterflies are from the summer generation, then they are characterized by a paler color than spring ones.
The ability to adapt to different living conditions is evidence of the wide ecological plasticity of the species. Nevertheless, possessing an almost perfect survival mechanism, the swallowtail butterfly does not withstand the anthropogenic impacts on its habitat, which create a truly extreme environment for it.
