Friday's Foto

With about 2 weeks left until the earliest southbound migrants begin appearing in our area, many birders turn their binoculars towards another group of winged animals - butterflies. Over the past week I've noticed a marked increase in the number of Tiger Swallowtail butterflies around Brooklyn. Ranging throughout all of North America, their preferred food plant is the black cherry and the tulip tree. This individual was feeding on a Long-stemmed Verbena. Here is a list of butterflies found in New York State.